Road to California

It took me over a year, but yesterday I finally attended my first quilt show: Road to California. If Elaine hadn't tipped me off, I would have missed the whole thing, and what a shame that would have been. Over 150 vendors filled the exhibit hall -- a quilting shopper's paradise. For someone like me whose only contact with other quilters has been online, it was a pretty fantastic experience. I walked into the hall, took a deep breath, and said to myself, "Yes, these are my people..."

Please forgive the poor quality of these pictures -- indoor convention center lighting does not a pretty photo make. Though most of the quilts on display were not necessarily my style, I could certainly appreciate the talent behind them which is worlds beyond my personal skill set. There was really only one modern exhibit, featuring quilts from the book "We Love Color." I really enjoyed getting to see these in person. Below are a few more...

There were some wonderful shops. Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods was full of beautiful notions. All of them were assembled in the most adorable vintage packaging, and I had a hard time keeping my hands to myself. In the end, I just couldn't choose, but I also discovered that they have an online shop which I'll definitely be visiting this week.

Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts was showing off her Hex N More ruler, Toes in the Sand quilt, and her Skip the Borders book. Every one of her quilts is more gorgeous than the last -- this woman has an abundance of talent.

Sewing Party was one of the few vendors featuring almost entirely modern fabric. It was fantastic to finally see so many of my favorite prints in person -- so different from looking at the pictures on my computer. I love the quilt in the center there that's made with Comma by Zen Chic -- if I didn't already have a charm pack of that collection coming in the mail, I would have definitely picked some up yesterday. I noticed that this shop will be at QuiltCon next month, so be sure to stop by if you're going.

Here's my stack of goodies from yesterday's shopping spree. I could have easily tripled the size of this pile, but I'm trying to be (mostly) responsible these days. If any of you live in Southern California, I highly recommend that you make it to this event next year if you can. It's definitely worth the drive.

Linking up to the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link-Up.