Kim MacGregor of Edward Jones, Mary Cooper of Leader Publications, Sue Kazlauskas of The Marshall Shoppe and Jim Frazier of Vincent J. Jewelers help Karla Arndt and her father, Carl Murphy, cut the ribbon Wednesday noon for the official opening of Sew Can You fashion design school, 111 Pennsylvania Ave.

Most schools just paused for summer vacation, but at Karla Arndt’s colorful new Sew Can You fashion design, 111 Pennsylvania Ave., classes started Wednesday for nine students.

Arndt, a 1979 Union High School graduate who lives at Sister Lakes, taught sewing for 20 of the 25 years she lived in Chicago.

“I had great success at it,” she said. “My kids grew up, so I decided to move back. My family lives here — my father (Carl Murphy) and my brothers. It would be a good place for my grandkids to visit.”

“After doing some research on Dowagiac,” Arndt said, “I didn’t find anything outside of dance lessons and sports. This has been so successful for me in the past, I decided it’s got to work here. I’ll make it work. The kids just love it.”

Students will let the community judge with a public fashion show in April.

Arndt works with four students ages 6 to 17 at a time. Classes cost $55 a month for 75 minutes of weekly instruction (two hours and $75 for adults).

Students purchase a pattern book for $45 which lasts a child almost a year.

 “They go out of here just beaming. Self-esteem. They learn math, they learn cutting, they learn directions. It’s just educational all the way around. It’s something that will last them a lifetime,” Arndt said.