Harper's Fabric and Quilt Co.

Hours
Mon-Thurs 10-7
Fri 10-6
Sat 9-5
Sun 1-4

7918 Santa Fe Dr.
Overland Park, KS 66204

913-648-2739 Fabric
913-491-4499 Sewing Machines

3 blocks west of Metcalf
between 79th & 80th on Santa Fe Dr.
Downtown Overland Park

Parking on Santa Fe Dr.
Additional parking north parking lot

Harper's Owner: Elaine Johnson
Email: harpersfab@aol.com

Home Class Schedule On-Line Store Staff Links

	Denise Best Teacher	As a young child, Denise watched her mom and grandmother sew and learned to sew as a young teen in Home Ec. Not until a few years ago did she do much with her skills. Since then, quite a passion has developed. She has been busy sewing, quilting, embroidering, digitizing embroidery designs (from her husband's beautiful artwork) using the 5D embroidery software, and most recently, designing quilts using the EQ7 software.
	NedRa Bonds Teacher	As a contemporary fiber artist, I believe in the power of art to make changes. We live in a visual society where, unfortunately, we do not always recognize the potential in what we see, consequently, we tend to discard much of what could be valuable. I come from people who value every aspect of life, even those things considered to be 'unusable'. My mother taught us to never throw away anything until it was "used up". My mother called this "making do". I developed this habit in exploring my art. I search for 'usefulness' in the materials and in the subject matter. I collect a variety of fabrics from all over the world. I am interested in combining unusual fabrics with those more common, in order to compare texture, color, and form. Teaching is another way of expressing art and collecting friends. I love the expressions on faces when students create something new, for the first time. I am fond of reflecting on social issues by taking them apart and looking at them in new ways. In so doing, I converse with issues, fabric and viewers, hoping to make small changes in all of them.
	Rosemary Cromer Staff/Teacher	Rosemary is a quilter extraordinaire. She is a member of Quilt Guild of Greater Kansas City, the Heartland Quilt Network. Her "Jewels of the Plaza" pattern was featured in KC Star, March 2003 She earned her BS & MS in Family and Consumer Science Education. Her love of teaching is obvious given that she was a Shawnee Mission Educator for 20 years and an Adult Education Teacher with Johnson County Community College for 10 years.
	Barbara Fink Staff/Teacher	Machine embroidery is Barbara's gig. Fashion sewing with embroideries is her niche. Embroidery Software is her forte. Barbara will sit down with you to demonstrate or teach you all about our Husqvarna Viking sewing and Embroidery Machines.
	Carl Hentsch Teacher	Carl started quilting in earnest in 2005. His quilting style is traditional with a touch of modernism. Carl usually sticks to traditional piecing or paper piecing. He gets his inspiration for his designs from his surroundings and experiences. Anything from surfing in Puerto Rico, mountain climbing in Korea or Denver, or from the tornadoes in the Midwest. His designs have won many contests and are awe inspiring.
	Mary Honas Staff/Teacher	Mary Honas has been with Harper's since September, 2001. She's been sewing since she was seven starting with doll clothes and began quilting in 1989. Like many other Harper's instructors, she has her mom to thank for her quilting interest and comes from a family of quilters. Mary's greatest joy in quilting is to teach, especially beginners. If you are looking for a great instructor to get you started with your first quilt, her classes will give you a strong foundation. As the mother of five, Mary has unending patience which she offers our beginning and more advanced quilters as well.
	Elaine Johnson Staff/Teacher	Elaine Johnson, owner of Harper's Fabric & Quilt Co. and Harper's Sewing Machine Co. since 1994, has been with Harper's for 24 years. She is a graduate of Kansas State University in Family and Consumer Science Education and has taught middle school, high school, and college level. Teaching anyone to sew and fine tuning their skills is a specialty that Elaine loves to help her students achieve success.
	Julie Lang Staff	Julie Lang has been sewing since she was a little girl. She first started with stuffed animals and worked her way up to sewing her own clothing. Her mother taught her how to sew and she has loved it ever since! She joined the Harper's team in 2004 and has a passion is for sewing clothing, home decor and purses. Julie has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Missouri. Teaching helps her to share her love of sewing that she enjoyed both as a child and now as an adult. Julie helps students increase their skills in home decor and fashion sewing. Her hands on approach to teaching will really make your project attainable for you. Sewing clothing is Julie's area of expertise so please be sure to take advantage of one of her classes to share in her knowledge!
	Connie Lutz Teacher	Connie's grandmother taught her to sew at a very young age, and she's been stitching ever since. She has a bachelor's degree in Home Economics Education, and a master's degree in Technical Teacher Education. Connie has been a high school FACS educator in Shawnee Mission for over 20 years. She has been teaching at Harper's since 1984 and offered the first quilting class in 1989. She has presented to quilt groups and taught at guilds across the Midwest. She is inspired by antique quilts, and thus is the traditionalist in the Harper's group. Connie uses reproduction fabrics and warm, dark colors to create quilts that remind us of our heritage. And just for fun, Connie says she is the "oldie" in Sewing to the Oldies classes at Harper's late Friday nights. She loves the sense of community and friendship that come from teaching and sharing her passion for all things fabric.
	Renay Martin Staff/Teacher	Renay Martin has been affiliated with Harper's for over 15 years making display garments, creating displays, working in the store, and teaching classes as well. Her true loves are garment and purse construction. She is the creator and designer of Purse Strings Patterns. Renay's career started on Good Friday in third grade when she made a Barbie doll dress. It was a huge (actually small) success! She hasn't stopped sewing since. She thanks her mother for encouraging her passion for sewing.
	Kim Melton Staff/Teacher	Kim is the worlds best sewing machine technician. She has been working at Harper's since 1989. She has the Blue and Gold certification from Husqvarna Viking, which is the highest certification available. Kim is always increasing her knowledge on all machines. In addition to fixing machines she love sewing also. Her passion is small quilts using Jo Morton's designs and patterns. Her knowledge of sewing small quilts helps those in the Jo's Little Women Club be inspired.
	Debra Minnich Staff	Debra is the computer Guru. She keeps the website and online store updated, edits Pressing Matters and is the go to person for any computer needs. She has a degree in International Business from John Brown University and uses her marketing skills to expand Harper's online presence.
	Kinley Neier Staff	Kinley started her love affair with sewing when she was ten years old. Her love of quilting and making garments grew and led her to K-State where she continued her love by earning a degree in Apparel Marketing. After graduating she came to Harper's to share her knowledge of color and designs with our customers.
	Cynthia Schrader Teacher	Cynthia Schrader learned sewing from her mother as a child. She often played under the extension of the sewing cabinet as her mother sewed to supplement household income. Always involved in garment construction, recent years have seen transition to quilting with incorporation of traditional sewing traits such as piping, handwork finishing or advanced skills. In her real world she is a registered dietitian sand works as a lunch lady.
	Joyce Spaulding Teacher	Joyce's specialty and love is sewing children's clothing especially for her granddaughters. She can not remember a time when she was not sewing. For 28 years she was a fabric sales rep covering the Midwest and the heartland. She now uses her experiences and knowledge helping people choose fabric for their projects and teaching our youth classes.
	Dian Stanley Teacher	I am new to quilting but not new to sewing. I have been sewing most of my life starting with Barbie Doll clothes. I love fiber art of all kinds and I am also a weaver with a floor loom in my living room. So I have a fabric stash and a yarn stash. My quilting is strictly of the Art Quilt variety. I don’t enjoy the exactness or the handwork of traditional quilting although I find myself something of a perfectionist. I do take advantage of all the new technology including machine embroidery and computer manipulation of images.
	Jennifer Wood Teacher	Jennifer Wood is our Heirloom sewing expert. She has new projects and ideas each time she has her classes. Join Jennifer to learn how much fun heirloom can be and how much more exquisite you can make your personal or home decor projects.