When Kim Kruse was a child, her grandmother would sew clothing for her and her sister.
Last weekend, the now 37-year-old closed her sewing studio, Sew Make Do and began preparing garments for a child of her own.
About 10 times a month, UF students and Gainesville residents filled the 600-foot brick and mortar sewing studio. At the six sewing stations inside, they learned to sew, knit and quilt.
“It’s nice to have a place where [people] feel like they can get together,” she said.
Kruse, a UF employee, opened Sew Make Do in October 2011. For the three years prior to Sew Make Do opening she taught classes through the Alachua County Library District and UF Leisure Course program.
Kruse was tired of transport ing heavy sewing equipment to the classes she taught. She used to have to teach in whichever room in the Reitz Union was unoccupied, including the basement.
“I wanted to create a welcoming space for people who are in creative classes to come and learn,” she said.
Kruse plans to continue teaching at Chickadee Shops, a fabric store in the Oaks Mall Plaza. She will keep a list of her classes on www.SewMakeDo.com, scheduling them around her pregnancy.
“It’s something I chose to do because I only have so much time I can dedicate to the things that are important in my life,” she said. “I think that most people would agree family is pretty important.”
