Unmistakably Arizona

Up the hill from my campsite at Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Maricopa County, Arizona, is an overlook of the lake. Photo by Dana Jones.©

Driving 400-plus miles can be exhausting. It can also be exhilarating. My drive from Moab, Utah, to the Phoenix area was the second. An early start meant I arrived with several of hours of daylight to spare.

My extra-wide campsite.

I can lose sleep worrying I'll have to back into a campsite. Folks at this park must have known. They assigned me a site that is double — make that triple — wide compared to most RV sites. And there is a huge turnaround area even before the driveway into the site. I whipped around and backed straight in. A couple walking by with their dogs — Arizona pups wear sweaters when it's 60 degrees F — applauded. Then we laughed. My challenge was, well, not challenging.

Build It and They Will Come

The first thing you need to know is I love baseball, and I love baseball movies. "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner is a favorite. Even if you're not a baseball fanatic, you likely know the uplifting message of this movie.

I had a Field of Dreams moment recently. I posted the next session of my "Demystifying Design for Foundation Piecing" workshop on my website. It was late when I finished. Promotion would wait.

The next morning, I woke up to my phone dinging repeatedly telling me someone then someone else and someone else had signed up for the workshop. In a few hours, eight people registered and several more emailed with questions. The class filled within a few days.

The actual quote from the movie is "build it and he will come" but close enough. Build it and they will come. Talk about an exhilarating experience.

House quilt design© by Vicki Zerfoss.

I'm pretty sure I have Vicki Zerfoss, who took the class in January, to thank for this response. Vicki signed up for the workshop with a purpose. She wanted to design three foundation-piecing patterns of three houses that have special meaning to her and her family.

If I have the story correct, Vicki posted a photo of her quilt pictured above to a Facebook group of diehard foundation piecers. She mentioned my workshop. A huge shout out to Vicki for filling my March workshop and an even bigger shout out to her for her amazing quilt. I can't wait to see the other two.

If you're interested in the workshop, I've scheduled a session for May. Check it out on my website: https://www.danajonesquilts.com/technique-classes.

QuiltCon starts tomorrow. I'm signed up for two classes. Check out what I learn in my next Road Trip blog post.

Road Trip!

R-Pod hitched to Pilot, ready to roll.

• R-Pod dug out of snow and ice: ✓

• Propane on and food in fridge: ✓

• Quilts to bind and stitch plus sewing machine packed: ✓

• Drawers and cabinet doors secured: ✓

• R-Pod hitched to Pilot: ✓

• Goodbyes to puppies: ✓

And so my road trip to Phoenix and Daytona Beach begins. I invite you to join me through these daily blogs.

Today I drove from my Colorado mountain home to Moab, Utah, en route to my first QuiltCon. I probably signed up for too many classes but there were just too many must-take offerings with teachers not to miss. I'll let you know how I survive those in the coming days.

It was good to be on the road. Long distance driving is creative space for me. I pulled over a half dozen times to make notes and sketches of the quilt and quilt teaching ideas that began flowing back to back once I was over Loveland and Vail passes.

From left: "Log Cabin Fever," my design; "Proclaim Liberty," my design; and "Baker's Dozen," Jen Kingwell design. All quilted — wish you could see the quilting — by Rita Meyerhoff.

Upon arriving at my hotel — I'll start camping tomorrow night — I had an email from our Gilpin County librarian. He and a volunteer finished hanging three of my quilts in the rafters of our library to promote a Quilting 101 class I'll teach there next month. I think they look pretty cool. It was a challenge to hang them where folks can't touch and sunlight can't fade but Michael and Harv pulled it off beautifully.

We selected these three quilts because I'll be teaching the log cabin block. In Gilpin County, Colorado, we live in the woods, many of us in cabins, so this was a no-brainer.

Tomorrow I'll share highlights — what will they be? — of my drive from Moab, Utah, to the Phoenix area plus exciting news from my field of dreams. Eat your heart out Kevin Costner.

Meet Me at the Beach — Daytona Beach

I'm excited to announce I'll be teaching and speaking at the February 23-26, 2022, American Quilter's Society QuiltWEEK in Daytona Beach. I'll teach my popular "Demystifying Design for Foundation (Paper) Piecing" class and present two lectures:

• Pagtinabangay: The Quilts and Quiltmakers of Caohagan Island

• Indigo, Taupe and More: Japanese Fabric from Vintage to Contemporary

I'll also be part of the Teacher's All-Star Review during which each teacher will give a 10-minute whirlwind technique demo. I'll show how to Freeform Cut for Appliqué Caohagan Island-style. I'll have fabric and scissors for folks to cut along.

Registration is underway. Register now as classes and the All-Star Review are filling up.

I've been to this show twice before as a vendor, and I can tell you, it's a great show. If you live in a snowy area as I do — Rocky Mountains for me — what better time is there to enjoy some sun and warmer temps?

I hope to meet you at the beach — Daytona Beach.!