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Sew
Many Friends offers materials, classes for needleworkers
[NOV.
2, 2000]
"A
hobby that took over my life" is the way Ivy Koritz describes
quilting. And she admits to being a "fabriholic." So it
seems only natural to find her behind the counter at "Sew Many
Friends," the quilt and sewing shop at 127 S. Kickapoo. The new
store, which belongs to Ivy and her husband, Dick, of Clinton and
Sue and Butch Bidwell of Lincoln, carries all sorts of quilting
supplies, as well as 500 to 600 bolts of fine-quality fabrics.
"But we’d like to have more," Ivy says. "We
fabriholics want a bolt of everything on the market."
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Customer
Bobby Anne Bergman of Mason City is another fabriholic. "I’m
thrilled that Sew Many Friends is here. They have great-quality
fabrics, and I don’t have to drive so far," she says. Bobby
Anne just retired from the Mason City National Bank and can do what
she wants with her spare time, which is quilt. She’s working on a
sampler quilt of her own design to enter in a Better Homes and
Gardens contest.
"We’ve
had many compliments on our collection of fabrics," Ivy
reports. "Makers we carry that quilters will recognize include
Hoffman, Moda, Marcus brothers, Northcott, RJR, Benartex,
Thimbleberries and Jinny Beyer. We also have 1930s and 1860s
reproduction fabrics."
Quilting
is only one of the hobbies that brings sewing addicts to the store.
Smocking (embroidering patterns on pleated fabric, often on little
girls’ dresses) and heirloom sewing (creating items like
christening dresses or satin pillows that will be used and then kept
as mementos) are among the skills that will be taught in classes
offered by Sew Many Friends.
Quilting
and smocking instruction books, patterns for women’s and girls’
clothing, patterns for the popular hobby of making doll clothing,
embroidery and regular sewing thread, and all kinds of sewing
notions are available, along with the fabric. The shop also sells
some ready-made items taken on consignment, such as children’s
frontier shirts, sunbonnets and aprons, and appliquéd clothing like
shirts and denim jumpers. Ivy will do machine quilting for
customers, and she hopes to carry a line of sewing machines in the
future.
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The
classes to be offered will vary in length according to the skill
being taught. Small projects may be taught in two or three weeks.
Students who take on a big project, such as making a full-size
quilt, will meet once a month for a year. A class in making
Christmas ornaments will meet just once. Classes can meet either in
the evening or during the day. Ivy suggests dropping in or calling
her at 732-4527 for information about individual classes.
Ivy
will teach the quilting classes, including machine quilting, and Sue
Bidwell will teach smocking. Sallie Marcotte, who went to the Martha
Pullen school, will teach heirloom sewing. Pullen is a nationally
known teacher of that craft.
Beginning
quilting classes usually do not start with a whole quilt but with a
single pieced block that can be used as a wall hanging or other
decoration, Ivy explains. A project will be big enough to teach
techniques but small enough to allow the student to finish the
project and enjoy it in a short period of time. Picking fabrics for
a small project also gives students practice in creating their own
designs.
Another
project might be a sample quilt, using the same quilt block pattern
and the same construction, but putting different fabrics in
differences places within each block so each one is completely
different visually.
(To
be continued)
[Joan
Crabb]
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Second
in the series, the ornament is 24-karat gold over brass and will be
enclosed in a green velvet presentation case with the city seal
embossed in gold on the cover. The limited edition ornaments will
have a numbered certificate of authenticity, including information
on the history of the building and a miniature version of the
proclamation naming it the official City of Lincoln ornament. The
cost is $15.
Ornaments
may be reserved now through Nov. 15 at a 10 percent discount when
paid in advance. To reserve ornaments, stop by the Main Street
Lincoln office on the second floor of Union Planters Bank, at 303
South Kickapoo in Lincoln.
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Purchasers
of last year's ornaments will receive a preregistration form in the
mail and will have the first option on continuing their numbered
series.
Ornaments
will be available for pickup around Thanksgiving and also for retail
purchase at selected locations downtown.
If
you missed the first in the series from 1999, the Logan County
Courthouse, a limited number are available for $20 each. For further
information, call Main Street Lincoln at (217) 732-2929.
[Main
Street Lincoln news release]
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