Columnist Susan Snyder: Shop shows fabric of a community

Monday, May 3, 2004 | 9:52 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4082.

Sally Nelson walked into Nanci Bowen's Boulder City shop looking as if she should be walking out.

She carried two women's jackets in one hand and a bag of brand-new throw pillows in the other.

"We sell them as fast as they come in," Bowen said as Nelson took her wares to the back of the store called Fiddlesticks.

In another corner, two women stood bolts of fabric side-by-side trying to choose just the right combination for a quilt one of them was making.

Every available inch of space around them displayed one-of-a-kind quilts, dolls, needlework, dolls, purses, clothing and anything else one can make from fabric. There are even a few watercolor paintings and hand-beaded jewelry tucked among the treasures.

And most of it was made by women who live in Southern Nevada.

"There's just so much talent, and I just tap into them," Bowen said. "It never ceases to amaze me, the things that people make."

Fiddlesticks, at 1229 Arizona St., looks like just another fabric shop to the casual passerby. But it's actually more of a clearinghouse for creativity.

Nelson, a retired middle-school math teacher, was among the first artisans Fiddlesticks featured when it opened in 1996. Eight years later she still finds inspiration within its walls.

Nelson placed her pillows around the store while stopping to admire, gain ideas from and touch others' work. Touching is almost mandatory when it comes to fabric art.

"It brings them together, and they share ideas. We want them to walk in our door and be a friend for life," Bowen said.

The first four years, Bowen shared shop space with the owner of a knickknack shop. When that business moved up the street four years ago, Bowen welcomed the extra space. And she could use more.

She has herself and four women on her payroll, in addition to the women who sell their creations on consignment.

She also hosts two quilting retreats each year and offers classes for all levels of quilters. Check out the schedule at www.fiddlesticksquilts.com.

Quilting is a necessity-turned-social-activity that has enjoyed a huge resurgence, Bowen said. And the main reasons have little to do with needing a new blanket.

"Women like fabric. They like the colors, and they like to touch it and do things with it," she said.

And they prefer making quilts more for other people. Bowen has made dozens but has only five in her home. And not one covers her own bed. It's about giving something from the heart and bonding with others while creating it.

"I think this is where society has dropped the ball," Bowen said. "Women don't get together the way they used to."

Except, at Fiddlesticks.

Nelson slipped into one of her jackets and modeled it for Bowen and Janette Beam, whose display of hand-beaded jewelry glistens on Fiddlesticks' counter.

"This one is mine," Nelson said, fussing with the lapels. "But what do I do with these?"

The jackets are reversible, so tacking them down wouldn't work. Bowen and Beam suggested she simply turn them out a little.

"See? We come in, and we have show-and-tell," Nelson said.