AROUND THE FRAME: GRAND OPENING SET FOR BORN AGAIN QUILTS RESTORATION STUDIO AND QUILT GALLERY

A long time dream comes to fruition on Saturday, October 20, when Born Again Quilts officially opens at its new location in an old building-an original Hoosier grocery store at 4005 South Wayne Ave next door to the Friendly Fox. The ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m. and the festivities will conclude at 4 p.m. Our neighbors in the historic Southwood Park, Oakdale and South Wayne neighborhoods are excited to welcome us.

Born Again Quilts specializes in the restoration of pieced and appliqué quilts as far back as the 1870s, offers a selection of vintage and reproduction fabrics, private lessons/classes, and a fine selection of vintage quilts and sewing accessories for purchase.

All of the quilts are “grandma-arm” quilted as opposed to machine-quilted. They reflect their maker and the times in which they were made. Vintage baby quilts crib sheets are a BAQ specialty: heirloom quality textiles to be cherished by a new generation. Online through Etsy, BAQ regularly sells to collectors in Australia, France, Finland, Canada and across the United States. They love to give pieces of the past as presents!

Quilt Autopsies will be performed by appointment for people wanting to know what “killed” their quilt and what can be done to restore it. Go to www.bornagainquilts to watch a Quilt Crime Investigation.

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Work is still in progress as the former beauty salon is transformed into both workshop and gallery space. Long hours of painting, priming, spackling and floor cleaning will give the interior a fresh new look. With six times the space and only one step the new location is much more user-friendly than the current one (30 steps) and The Waynedale News is hand-delivered to the door!

Don’t look for too many exterior improvements. This block is now designated as an Economic Development Target Area. The businesses are now eligible to apply for façade grants to enhance their exteriors. Watch for these improvements next summer including the elimination of the one step for total access.

One noticeable exterior change will be the removal of the awning and the carpet covered sign. Recently while perusing The Waynedale News classifieds, I stumble across an ad for Stiffler Remodeling Inc. A quick call and I am speaking to a very excited John Stiffler whose grandparents operated out of the building as Stiffler’s Hardware for decades. John is searching for memorabilia and hopes the sign may have been first used by his grandparents. He’s lending a hand to get it down to check it out. Thanks John!

Pastor Bob of the First Missionary Church at the corner of South Wayne and Rudisill has graciously offered the church parking lot for overflow parking for the Grand Opening. The church has a quilt group that I am anxious to meet and have over for a spell.

Plan now to attend, celebrate and enjoy a piece of cake. The Friendly Fox crew, Eran M. Park glass blower extraordinaire of the Glass Park and Barber Joe welcome and invite you to check out all what’s happening on the 4000 block of South Wayne Ave on October 20.

Cutline: Born Again Quilts welcomes everyone to their new home at 4005 South Wayne Ave.

Lois Eubank owner of Born Again Quilts has written the Around the Frame column exclusively for The Waynedale News for over three years. She may be contacted through the paper.