What Happened at Road to California? An Awesome and Unexpected Quilting Win!

Having a quilt accepted into a quilt show is always a fun experience- sharing what you have made is one of the best parts of quilting. That’s a big reason why show and tell is a highlight of every quilt guild and group I have ever attended.

I enter shows with minimal expectations. I choose quilts that I think have a decent chance of acceptance, but I don’t consider anything more than that when I hit the submit button.

But every once in awhile something more happens…

The week that Road to California happened was jam packed. It was BERNINA Ambassador training that went from early morning to well into the evening, and I was pretty wiped out by the end of the day. During that time a friend messaged me that I should check my email spam because that’s where her judges comments landed. Exhaustion won out over email searches that night (and honestly, the next one too).

So late Friday afternoon, imagine my surprise when another friend forwarded an image posted of my quilt at the show- with a ribbon on it!

Then I took the time to find the judges comments, and it turns out Emergence won third place in the Abstract Category!!!

Judges Comments

Regardless of judging results, I like to share the comments. If you have never entered a particular show (or any show) before, judging can feel like a mysterious process, and I want to do anything I can to make that process a bit more transparent.

Here’s what they had to say at Road to California 2023:

Awesome colour choice, awesome fabric choice. The ombre effect from dark to light works beautifully; fabulous combination of hand work and machine stitching is well executed and of a high standard. A stunning quilt. Excellent construction.

Do you want to know more about the process behind this 100 day quilt? You can read about Emergence here.

The 2024 Road to California show will be here before we know it. Are you planning to enter?