Hi Rose. Waving wildly from the other side of the state! Oh, I am jealous. The Ben Franklin in Monroe is a wonderful place. So is the one in Redmond. I lived many, many decades on the East side of Seattle... and attended lots of arts and crafts classes at the Redmond Ben Franklin. I miss it immensely.
You came to the right place since you are new to quilting. Everyone here is very friendly and VERY helpful. If you have a question, just asked... you will get an answer or many answers.
As a collector of vintage machines might I suggest securing a Featherweight for toting to your classes. A little pricier than a 301 but uses the same presser feet and bobbins and power cord. Seattle area has a lot of vintage machines to choose from that you can easily find on Craigslist. All of my vintage machines except one or two are from craigslist.