Warming Hearts at the Quilts on the Dakota Prairie Festival When someone is truly passionate about something, it’s rather obvious, a warmth that you can feel radiating from them. When I met Sally Schroeder, I could feel that warmth, like being wrapped up in a cozy handmade quilt. Sally Schroeder knows the happiness that a handmade quilt can bring. As the owner of Sassy Cat Quilting Company, her love of quilting contagiously spreads to everyone she meets. Her passion started young, finding out she was a natural at it when she discovered she enjoyed home-economics class in the 7th grade. She grew up watching her mom sew curtains and selftaught herself to sew on her mother’s treadle. As she continued to sew, she later shared her passion with others by teaching adult sewing classes in the 1980’s. Schroeder and husband John have five grown children and moved to Yankton from Coleridge, Nebraska in 2012. She had a quilting studio in Coleridge about nine years ago and when they moved to Yankton they decided to purchase the previous Dakota De Caza grounds for a home and new quilting studio. It wasn’t long before Sassy Cat Quilting Company was in business. The name Sassy Cat wasn’t a serious business name at first, it actually started as a joke by her sons-in-law who, for fun one day called her Sassy Cat and it stuck. Schroeder and husband John took out 30 stalls in the massive 29,000 square foot horse barn, poured cement and turned the area into a beautiful store and gallery. Her store a spectacular display of color filled with fabric pieces for purchase, quilts on display from Guild members and beautiful antique furniture pieces while images of her mother and inspirational words adorn the walls. With my mother-in-law along for the visit, knowing that she would enjoy the artwork of a fellow quilter, we gazed around the store in appreciation and admiration. As we were guided through the store, Schroeder showed us a murphy bed, baby crib and antique hotel mailbox that were creatively used in her fabric displays. Though the store in itself is cozy and charming, the most heart-warming part of it is the friendships that have evolved. Schroeder smiled as she told me about her quilting group, the “Sassy Cat Posse” as they call themselves: Mary Kirschenman, Mary Ellen Hornstra, Elaine Harty, Peggy Anderson, Suzanne Pressler, Sharon Auch and Marlyce Micklos. The group of quilters has become a sisterhood and Schroeder found out recently that the camaraderie runs deeper than quilting. When her husband John recently encountered some sudden health issues, the Sassy Cat Posse jumped in without hesitation to help out in the shop, assisting with everything from cutting fabric to running the till. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Schroeder explained, showing her emotion. “The girls…(their help), it’s overwhelming. I never thought I would be in that position.” Just listening to her explain the friendship of the group gave me warmth that even a quilt couldn’t give. Honoring the life of your loved one... • Sensitivity • Compassion • Respect Guiding and serving families with compassion and trust. Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton Memorial Resource Center, Tyndall • Memorial Chapels, Tabor, Menno & Tyndall 665-9679 • 1-800-495-9679 • www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com 20vHERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 We’re here for you... Tami Penny Somer