SPILLVILLE - Mary Hudecek smoothes out her threaded masterpieces.

Vivid colors dance off the material, arranged in patterns brought from her homeland of Czechoslovakia.

Her eyes brighten as she piles the tablecloths, ornaments and wall-hangings onto her table from a suitcase of collectibles. Her original handmade pieces are as unique as each of her grandchildren who will someday receive them.

"That really shows," the Protivin woman says, motioning to the black thread on the white cloth. "They're different designs. Every one of them."

Next to the stack of stitchery, fresh fruit-filled kolaches tease taste buds.

Decorative pieces with the words "Vitame vas" - welcome in Czech - pepper her living room.

Since coming to America in 1937, Hudecek's ethnicity is no secret. The tokens of her particular heritage share a common thread with other people in the area.

Protivin and Spillville are heavily populated Czechoslovak communities. And a new chapter of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences has found a home in Spillville.

It's logical, says Michael Klimesh, a resident instrumental in starting the chapter. In the Winneshiek County town of 400, the Czech heritage is there, he says.

The Bily Clocks Museum features timepieces created by the Bily brothers, who were of Czech ancestry. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak wrote opuses 96 and 97 during an 1893 stay here. And the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, parochial school and Czech log cabin/school are the oldest still-standing buildings of their kind in America.

Founded in 1956, the Czechoslovak society is an international group for those interested in arts, sciences, history or genealogy of the cultures. Spillville's Central Midwest Chapter is the 12th in the United States of the 24 chapters worldwide.

But Czechoslovak blood isn't required of the members.

Norma Hervey, a professor of history at Luther College in Decorah, isn't Czechoslovak. But her academic and personal commitment is enough to join the club.

She taught in the Czech Republic for two years and has organized study abroad trips with Luther students. Students can find research and service projects through the network, she says, and the chapter will let people celebrate and share their roots and interests.

"I hope it will make people realize that we have more in common than separating us," she says.

Through the virtual world, members can hook up with people who aren't within driving distance of Northeast Iowa. Specific interests are linked across the boundaries.

"There are people who are interested in decorative egg painting who may not be interested in genealogy, and yet they're all connected," Klimesh said.

Egg painting, for example, has roots in Ukranian and Czech cultures, plus others. The ties to other traditions could expand an artistic style, Klimesh says.

"As the connections grow and the resource base increases, there's more cross fertilization taking place," Klimesh says.

Spillville resident Eunice Wermers is an avid egg painter. She and her husband, Bill, have German ancestry, but she picked up the Czech arts since moving to Spillville years ago. Through her membership, she looks forward to meeting people who share her interests internationally.

"It's a variety of people with a variety of interests and doing things that have a Czech and Slovak connection," says Klimesh.