These women, all a part of the Yankton Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild, are helping to put on a huge quilt show on October 15 and 16 at Sally’s place, the Schroeder Ranch, located five miles north of the junction of Highway 50 and Highway 81. Schroeder, co-chair of the event with Angie Hejl, explained that they are anticipating at least 400 quilts on display at the event. The event, called “Quilts on the Dakota Prairie,” will also feature several vendors for visitors to talk with. The hundreds of quilts will be displayed on fences and barn rafters for spectators to witness the talent of the more than 60 members of the Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild. “It will be more like a quilt festival,” Schroeder laughed and explained how the Guild started working on this show a year ago. It sounds like it will be an amazing sight. Like most quilters, Schroeder has given away more quilts than she’s kept, estimating that she’s made “dozens and dozens” of quilts over the years. Someone challenged her that once she opened a quilt shop, she would never quilt for herself again because she would be so busy with her shop. She is taking on that challenge by currently making a king size pineapple quilt for herself. “It’s a contagious hobby,” she explains. “The best quilters take it the most serious. They think about it all the time.” It’s hard to imagine how Schroeder has time to think of new ideas by being so busy quilting, teaching classes, selling fabric and long-arm sewing for people. She has currently added “Mutton Mondays” to her list of happenings, where sewers can come out to work with wool applique. The participants end up sharing many things: stories, laughs, ideas and pieces of fabric. A free motion artist, she explains, her quilt ideas come directly from her head and are not created on a computer. She feels that using a computer limits creativity and puts a “stamp” on the product, and she likes to personalize the quilts instead, making them more unique. She loves the entire quilting process and will start a new quilt when the idea comes to her, sometimes having several quilts started at one time. If you’re looking to take part in the Yankton Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild, they meet on the fourth Monday of every month, each meeting location to be announced. To find out the location, look to their minutes published in the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan newspaper or call Sassy Cat Quilting Company right before the meeting for the location at (605) 660-1612. When asking Schroeder about any final thoughts about the upcoming enormous quilt show, she states, “if you miss this quilt show, you will be sad. It will be THAT AWESOME. The committee has put its heart and soul into it. We’re opening this barn up to people. You’ll be blown away by the talent, seeing things that you’ve never thought would come out of South Dakota.” We hope to see you at the Quilts on the Dakota Prairie on Saturday, Oct. 15th from 9:00 AM–7:00 PM or Sunday, Oct, 16th from 12:00 PM–4:00 PM. If you have any questions, please call Sassy Cat Quilting Company at (605) 660-1612. Store hours are Monday-Friday 10 AM–6 PM and Saturday 12 PM–2 PM. Schroeder will also be launching a website very soon, www.sassycatquilting.com. She smiles and reflects, “I am the luckiest girl in the world.” The way she said it makes me have no doubt; I could feel it coming from her heart. “Quilts make people happy,” she continued. One thing is for certain. She and her quilting crew are helping to provide many smiles, warm hearts and warm bodies, one stitch at a time. vBy Julie Eickhoff Willcockson Eye Associates, P .C. 415 W. 3rd, Yankton, South Dakota The physicians of Willcockson Eye Associates, P are dedicated to providing the best possible .C. medical and surgical eye care for you and your entire family. In addition to comprehensive eye exams and contact lens fittings, our physicians perform state of the art small-incision cataract and implant surgery. Our physicians are the regional experts in the diagnosis and management of sight threatening conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes, and macular degeneration. Paula Hicks, M.D. Board Certified Ophthalmologist Medical and Surgical Eye Care Gregory A Kouri, O.D. Optometrist Medical Eye Care For all your eyewear needs visit the Spectacle Shop next door. They offer an extensive selection of frames from traditional styles to the latest fashion design with frames to meet every family’s budget. New patients welcome! The Spectacle Shop, L.L.C. Call 605-665-9638 Karen E Dickes, D.O. Board Certified Ophthalmologist Medical and Surgical Eye Care Brady W. Betten, O.D. Optometrist Medical Eye Care HERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016v21