My mother and I attended the First Annual Schoolhouse Series hosted by Prairie Point Quilt & Fabric Shop in Shawnee, Kansas yesterday (March 5th, 2016).

How did the series live up?
Was it just a sales pitch, or was it really geared to sharing and learning?

Each attendee was greeted upon entry with a bag full of goodies, including a program for the day, fabric sample rolls, batting sample cards, a Presencia thread, a pattern by Annemarie Yohnk / Quilts Remembered, edible treats, water, and materials for note taking in class.

The day began with all of the quilters enjoying breakfast treats by Panera Bread Company and socializing.  I don’t know an official registration count, but would say there were easily over 100 ladies in attendance.  There were also lots of ladies and gentlemen at the school doing nothing but serving and helping route everyone to their classes and answer questions.

The Schoolhouse Series consisted of six sessions.  During each session, we were able to select one out of six classes.   Since part of our attendance was simply for socializing and enjoying each other’s company, my mom and I stuck together.   The classes in blue are what we attended.  Each class was only about 25 minutes long, just enough for a quick introduction.

Schoolhouse Series Classes
Teachers:  Annemarie Yohnk, Jeanne Poore, Kelly Ashton, Lisa Clark, Wendy Dombrowski, Barb Fife, and Susan Thorup.  
Lemony Star the Easy Way ….. No “Y” Seams
Hourglass Blocks with the Tucker Trimmer
Curved Piecing without the Struggle
The Joy of Machine Quilting
Sixty-Degree Savvy
Mitering Corners
Paper Piecing
Wish I’d Known That
Scrap Crazy 8
Strip Smart Quilts
Hunter’s Star with Deb Tucker’s Rapid Fire 
Modern Clutch
Baby Quilts
Notions
Table Runner Fun
Yoyos, a Short History
Prairie Points
Those Fabulous Feedsacks
Wool Applique

The instructors did a great job of staying within the allotted time, were organized, and flexible enough to answer questions.

I really enjoyed the class, “Those Fabulous Feedbacks”, with samples and stories shared by Jeanne Poore. I also thought her miniature cathedral window quilts were amazing and worthy of praise.  Jeanne’s work would be what I would expect to see in the National Museum of Toys / Miniatures in Kansas City!  During the class, my mom told me a story about the feedsacks that her grandmother had saved and given to her mom to make clothes for her when she was a little girl.  I’m sure many ladies involved in quilting today have similar stories.  I wish that modern day packaging was so useful!

My other favorite class was the demonstration of making a Hunter’s Star using the Deb Tucker Rapid Fire ruler.  The class was well organized with samples made at each step and a finished quilt displayed.  If the book had been in stock, I would certainly have come home with a new ruler for my collection and some plans for a future beautiful quilt.  I really liked how the construction was streamlined with the tool.

After being served a Panera sandwich lunch, we were treated to a trunk show by Annemarie Yohnk.  My favorite part was where she shared some of her collection of doll blankets and back stories.

I came out of the series with a smile on my face, ideas in my head, and maybe even some new friends.  It was a perfect Saturday jaunt with my favorite quilting buddy, my mom.  We plan on trying to meet up with some new friends at the local “Modern Quilt Guild” this week to see if we can find a great group to participate in.

I hope that Prairie Point rings the school bells again next year!
If we plan it right, we will bring some other friends too!