Blickenderfer rebuilds 118 year old barn to house quilting business

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

An old barn has gained new life thanks to the grueling efforts of Ana Blickenderfer and her family.

Built in 1905, with an addition added in 1915, the barn on Blickenderfer’s property, just east of Charles City, had been left unused after the roof fell in several years ago.

Though Blickenderfer has always wanted to restore the historic barn, the push to move forward came due to the expansion of her quilting business, Sew That!

Blickenderfer has operated her own quilting business out of her home for 15 years, but saw a big surge in business due to online orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing her to outgrow the space she had.

In addition, Blickenderfer has made a niche for herself by offering quilting retreats, inviting customers from across the country and beyond to come to North Iowa for a week where they can do nothing but quilt and relax.

However, hosting these retreats in remote locations like Waterloo became burdensome for Blickenderfer, who had to pack an increasing amount of food and supplies for the multi-day excursions.

“It got to be too much,” she said. “Since people were coming to me from all over the country, it just made sense to have them come directly to me.”

Needing a bigger space closer to home, Blickenderfer decided to have the 100-plus year old barn restored. Though building a new structure entirely from the ground up may have been easier, she was adamant about keeping the historical structure intact.

The job would become bigger than she ever anticipated.

Starting the process of restoring the barn in April of 2021, Blickenderfer drew up designs for how she wanted it, but couldn’t find a contractor to take on the job.

So the Blickenderfer family did it themselves.

Taught to do woodworking by her father since she was 8 years old, Blickenderfer credits her father with providing her with both the skills and the drive to take on the immense project.

“He’s the reason all this started,” she said.

Enlisting the help of her husband, parents, and in-laws, the Blickenderfer family has spent the better part of two years working on rebuilding the barn, from the foundation to the roof. Every piece is personal to Blickenderfer in some way, from the design of the roof that she drew, to the support beams milled from trees fallen on her parents farm during the 2021 tornado.

“It’s been a long two years,” she said. “There’s not a part of the building I haven’t touched.”

The retail portion of the building, located in the 1915 addition to the barn, was opened in November. There Blickenderfer houses her stock of fabric, patterns and other quilting supplies.

The rest of the 6,000 square foot barn has been restored in the design of the original 1905 structure, with about 12 feet of the original building still standing in the interior.

The newly constructed portion of the building houses a spacious classroom space for sewing lessons or other events, along with bedrooms, bathrooms, a full kitchen and laundry space for retreats.

“It’s taken just about everything I have to do this,” said Blickenderfer. “I’m really happy with how it’s turned out.”

Though there is still a bit of work left to finish, the barn opened for business earlier this year. She has already hosted three quilting retreats in the new building and is enjoying the convenience of having her own place set up the way she likes it.

“It’s way better,” said Blickenderfer. “It’s nice to not have to drive to another county or another state.”

Blickenderfer is hosting an open house this weekend to show off the results of her work. Open at 3013 Highway 18, Charles City, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Sew That! will have door prizes, giveaways, cookies and tours for anybody who wants to stop in to look.

“People can see how they can use it, because it’s not just for quilters,” said Blickenderfer.