We had some volunteers that had to step off the merry-go-round this year due to illness, some to car trouble getting to Flora, hay on the ground and time to bale before it got drenched again, family in trouble… you name it, our volunteers had it happen to them. Hopefully, for those that could not attend, their troubles are fewer and resolving themselves. And for those volunteers that stepped in, even though you hadn’t done it before, THANK YOU!

Then, to our volunteers that help every year: you are the best! We cannot say thank you enough!

Put June 18th on your calendar for next year. Don’t miss it!!

And to anyone that wants to volunteer or know more about the FSEC or School Days, contact us.

School Days 2010 will honor quilters and sewers of all “makes and models,” including people sewing with treadle machines. For several years quilters have helped with the restoration of the school by literally piecing together schoolhouse block quilts to raffle off, eight in all. Then the money was used to help with The Three R’s: Restoration, Repairs and Renovations being done at the school. With the honoring of quilters, comes a new tee shirt for the festivities and a slightly different raffle quilt. The tee shirts will be a limited quantity on hand and more will be purchased when orders are placed. The quilt, started with silhouette blocks, will be sewed by many hands embellishing the blocks as they see fit. Six quilters will be on-hand to work on various projects, including the new quilt. Two will be working on treadle sewing machines. Sharon Ledbetter, teaching paper piecing (June 26) and a two-day quilt workshop (July 31 and August 1) will be on hand, along with Sandy Berg from Raspberry Bramble Designs demonstrating her machine quilting class (September 18).

As always, School Days involves as many pioneer skills as can be gleaned from volunteers. New additions this year are silhouettes with the children and rug hooking. New volunteer Teresa Henke from Lostine and old time volunteer Cheryl Brunton from Pendleton will be bringing back these old time skills.

Besides the folk artist demonstrations, the Pie Social, a fund raising tradition from days of old, and the Dutch oven lunch will be available once again. These are both very popular with attendees, even to the point of the old saying, “eat dessert first, life is short.” The Country Store, filled with hand made items, some recycled items (bags of fabric scraps and antiques are possibilities), along with bakery goods, a new addition this year.

For more information on School Days or to volunteer, call 541.828.7010 or email floraschool@tds.net. The Flora School Education Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization; therefore all donations are tax deductible to the full extent of IRS law. All money earned from the food sales and country store and all donations go towards the restoration of the Flora School and keeping pioneer skills alive.

Spools

Of course, everyone is welcome.  As usual, we’ll have activities and demonstrations for all ages, including guided tours of the school and the historic town of Flora plus soapmaking, blacksmithing, spinning and much more.

You can pick up your challenge bag for $15 from the following craft merchants:

• Walla Walla Sew & Vac and Spa, Main Street, Walla Walla, WA
  Claudson’s Sew & Spa, Adams Avenue, La Grande, OR
  The Hangar Antique Mall, out past Costco and down the road from Roosters
  Restaurant, Clarkston, WA (they also have a completed one on display, donated
  to the school for the auction)
  Becky’s Fabrics, Mall 21 off of Thain Road, Lewiston ID; originator of the
  Brown Bag Challenge
  Cattle Country, Main Street, Joseph, OR
  Savoie’s, around the corner from the theater, Enterprise, OR

You can also contact the Flora School at floraschool@tds.net or call Vanessa
at 541.828.7010.

The challenge bag will contain 1 1/2 yards of good fabric. Using all three
fabrics inside your bag, add whatever you’d like to complete a project.
The item you turn in must be in finished form, i.e. quilts bound, vests ready
to wear, gifts ready to give…you get the idea. There are no size
restrictions.

Entries are due June 15. They can be delivered in person to the Flora School
or call the school to see about pickup or mail to Flora School Education
Center, 82744 College Lane, Flora, OR 97828-5111.

All entries will be displayed at Flora School Days June 19, 2010 in Flora,
Oregon. Attendees will vote on their favorite challenge entry. The winner will
receive a gift certificate to one of the quilt shops mentioned above. There
will also be a random drawing for another gift to be given to one of the
challenge project makers.

If you’d like to donate your project to the Flora School to be auctioned at
1pm that same day, please let us know on the backside of the entry form
(included with the brown bag you pick up).

If you need to have the brown bag shipped to you, we can do that. Please send
$20 (to cover the cost of the bag and shipping, plus your shipping address to
Flora School’s address listed above. It will be shipped flat rate priority
mail ASAP.

If you ship your completed brown bag challenge to the school and you are not
donating it to be auctioned, please include the cost of return shipping. Also,
use a reusable container for shipping.

The purchase of the challenge bag and the donation of your challenge project
helps to restore the Flora School and promote folk arts (including quilting).
The Flora School Education Center is a 501c3 tax exempt organization. All
materials for this challenge, along with time and space from the shops, is
being donated in support of folk arts and the Flora School.

A BIG thank you to Becky’s Fabrics in Lewiston for this great idea, all the
participating merchants and to Ann Thew for the donation of the fabric
included in the bags.