Colbert, Bryan County, Oklahoma
Alterations and sewing for Colbert, Oklahoma.
Sewn by Nayna with care
Colbert is about eight miles north of Denison, the first town on the Oklahoma side of the US-75 Red River bridge. People have been crossing at this exact spot since Benjamin Franklin Colbert's ferry in 1853, and the drive to Nayna's sewing room is shorter than most trips across Denison itself.
Oklahoma customers are welcome. Nothing changes at the state line: same fittings, same prices, same sewing room in Denison.
The drive
From Colbert to the sewing room
US-75 north out of Denison, across the Red River bridge into Oklahoma, then the first Colbert exit at the SH-91 interchange; in reverse, it is US-75 south and you are in Denison before the road has finished being a highway.
The whole trip is highway, so the only thing that slows it is Denison traffic at school letting-out time; a mid-morning or early afternoon appointment is the easy one.
- Road miles
- 8
- Minutes
- 10 to 15
Open directions
You get the street address when your fitting is booked. Drop-offs and pickups are by appointment, so text first and the door is open when you arrive.
Mileage: Rome2rio, Denison TX to Colbert OK driving distance (7.8 miles, about 9 minutes)
What she does
Sewing for Colbert
Every service below is open to Colbert customers. Pick one to see what it covers.
01
Bridal and prom
Wedding, bridesmaid, prom
Bridal and prom 02Hemming
Slacks, dresses, sleeves
Hemming 03Zipper replacement
Pants, jackets, dresses
Zipper replacement 04Take in and let out
Too big or a little snug
Take in and let out 05Repairs and patches
Rips, tears, patches
Repairs and patches 06Uniforms
Including youth baseball
Uniforms 07Custom sewing
From patterns, to your size
Custom sewingAround town
What brings work in from Colbert
A small town on the state line with a big casino up the road, a railroad history, and no fabric shop of its own. Most of what comes south is work clothes, uniforms and the ordinary family pile.
Casino and resort uniforms
The Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant sits on the same highway a few miles north of Colbert, with around 1,700 hotel rooms and thousands of slot machines, which makes it one of the biggest workplaces within a short drive of town. Uniform trousers, vests and shirts issued in standard sizes are a steady part of what Nayna hems and takes in.
A Chickasaw town by origin
Colbert is named for Benjamin Franklin Colbert, grandson of the Chickasaw leader Levi Colbert, and the family is still part of the Chickasaw Nation. The town's post office dates to November 1853 and the Katy railroad came through to Denison in 1872. If you have regalia or ceremonial dress that needs careful repair, say so when you book so Nayna can plan the time it deserves.
The old free bridge is in the park
The north span of the 1931 free bridge, the one that started the Red River Bridge War, was moved to Colbert Park near the baseball fields when the highway bridge was replaced. The park is the town's ball-field complex, so if you have youth ball pants to take up, that is where they will be worn.
Oklahoma Historical Society marker, The Red River Bridge, Colbert Park (transcribed on Waymarking)
No fabric shop in Colbert, and no Hobby Lobby in Durant
Colbert has no fabric store. Hobby Lobby's own store list has no Durant location, so the nearest Hobby Lobby fabric and sewing department is the Sherman store at 3500 Town Center Road, about twenty minutes past Nayna's. Durant has a quilt shop, Lulu and Hazel on Bryan Drive, which is the closer option for quilting cotton and notions.
Hobby Lobby store locator (Sherman store 149; Oklahoma list has no Durant store)
Local details checked 30 October 2026. Dates and hours move, so confirm with the organiser before you set out.
Local know-how
The bridge you cross to reach Nayna has been argued over since 1853
Every customer from Colbert reaches Denison the same way: over the US-75 bridge on the Red River. That crossing is older than either state. In 1853 the Chickasaw Nation gave Benjamin Franklin Colbert, a Chickasaw citizen, permission to run a ferry there, and in 1858 it became the last stop in Indian Territory on the Butterfield Overland Mail.
By 1872 the ferry charged a dollar for a two-horse wagon and a quarter for a man and horse, whether you used the boat or not. A toll bridge followed, floods took it more than once, and by the 1920s the Red River Bridge Company was charging seventy-five cents a vehicle. That is what a Colbert family paid to visit a Denison dressmaker a century ago.
In July 1931 the two states built a free bridge beside it. The toll company got a federal injunction, Texas Rangers barricaded the Texas end, and Oklahoma Governor Alfalfa Bill Murray sent the National Guard, tore up the road to the toll bridge and declared martial law. The free bridge opened on Labor Day 1931 and carried traffic until it was dynamited in December 1995.
The north span of the 1931 bridge was saved and sits in Colbert Park by the ball fields. So the practical news for a Colbert customer is the dull kind: the crossing is free, four lanes, and about ten minutes to a fitting. Bring the garment and the shoes you will wear with it.
When to bring it in
A year of sewing from Colbert
The sewing room fills up in waves. Here is when Colbert tends to need what, and how far ahead to come in.
- January to February
Youth ball registration season across Bryan County
Baseball and softball pants bought big for the spring are the first job of the year. Bring the cleats and ask Nayna to leave the hem allowance in so the same pair can be let down next year.
Source: OK Kids Baseball Association, 2026 registration window (opened January 1, closed April 15)
- April into May
Prom and graduation season
Formal dresses and suits need two fittings. A dress bought in February should be in Nayna's hands by early March so the second fitting is not the week of the dance.
- Memorial Day to Labor Day
Lake Texoma season brings visitors through Colbert
Colbert's economy leans on Texoma tourism. If you work at a marina, a campground or the casino over the summer, get uniform and work-shirt alterations done before the holiday rush, not during it.
Source: Oklahoma Historical Society, Colbert (Lake Texoma tourism supports the local economy)
- September
Labor Day, the anniversary of the free bridge opening
The 1931 free bridge opened on Labor Day. It is also the week the lake quiets down and Nayna's calendar opens up, so it is a good time for the slow jobs: coats, repairs, the pile that has waited all summer.
Source: Clio, 1931 Free Bridge Controversy (free bridge opened Labor Day 1931)
- October to December
Holiday parties at the casino and resort
Cocktail dresses, dress trousers and jackets come in for the casino's holiday events and office parties. Zippers that have been fine all year choose December to fail, so check them in November.
Around Colbert
Useful to know in Colbert
Places that send work to the sewing room, and a few that do the jobs Nayna does not.
- Town park and ball fields
Colbert Park and the 1931 free bridge span
Colbert Park, Colbert
The town's baseball fields, with the saved north span of the 1931 free bridge beside them. Where youth ball pants from Colbert get worn.
Source: Oklahoma Historical Society marker, The Red River Bridge, Colbert Park
- Historic site
Colbert's Ferry historical marker
Burney Street at South Franklin Street, Colbert
The 1957 state marker for the ferry crossing three miles south, where the Butterfield stage crossed into Texas. The ferry site itself is on the National Register.
Source: Historical Marker Database, Colbert's Ferry marker (Oklahoma Historical Society marker text)
- Employer and event venue
Choctaw Casino and Resort
4216 S Highway 69/75, Durant
The region's largest resort, a few miles north of Colbert on the same highway. Uniform alterations for staff, and party dresses for the events held there.
- Fabric and sewing department
Hobby Lobby, Sherman
3500 Town Center Road, Sherman, TX
The nearest full fabric and sewing department. There is no Hobby Lobby in Durant and no fabric shop in Colbert.
- The other river crossing
Carpenters Bluff Bridge
Carpenters Bluff Road, south of FM 120, east of Denison
The 1910 railroad bridge between Grayson and Bryan counties closed to cars in 2017 and a new road bridge opened beside it. A back way to east Denison if US-75 is backed up.
From the sewing room
Recently finished in the sewing room
The latest pieces to leave Nayna's sewing room in Denison. Tap a photo to see more.
How it works
Easy as 1, 2, 3
No counter, no hand-offs. The person who pins your fitting is the person who sews it.
- 1
Reach out
Send a ticket, call or text. A quick photo of the piece helps her quote it.
- 2
Get pinned
Stop by for a fitting so she can pin and measure it on you.
- 3
Pick it up
Walk out in something that fits just right.
The sewing room
Where: Nayna's home sewing room in Denison. You get the address when you set up your fitting.
This is where your piece gets sewn, by the same person who pins it.
Meet Nayna
Hi, I'm Nayna. Pull up a chair.
I'm a wife, a mother of two and a grandmother of four. I've always loved crafting and sewing, and I've spent years doing alterations both professionally and from home.
I'm retired now, but I still sew right here from my home in Denison. When I'm not at the machine I'm with my family, loving on animals of every kind, or daydreaming about the beach.
- 2Kids
- 4Grandkids
- DenisonSewing room
Questions
Colbert questions
Still wondering about something? Ask when you send your ticket, or call (903) 815-6603.
How long is the drive from Colbert?
About eight miles and ten to fifteen minutes. It is US-75 south over the Red River bridge and you are in Denison. Fittings are at Nayna's home, by appointment, so call (903) 815-6603 first.
Does it matter that we are in Oklahoma?
No. Nayna takes Oklahoma customers exactly as she takes Denison ones: by appointment, drop off and pick up at her home, same prices, same sewing room.
Colbert customers are closer than a lot of Grayson County, so nothing changes except the state line on the bridge.
I work at the Choctaw Casino. Can you alter the uniform?
Ask the Uniform Service desk at the Durant property first. The Choctaw Nation keeps its own sewing staff on site to fit, hem and repair issued uniforms, and that is usually faster and free to you.
Anything that is yours rather than theirs, the black trousers you bought for the job, an interview suit, the dress for an awards night, bring to Nayna with the shoes you wear on shift.
Can I drop off on my way to work in Denison or Sherman?
If the time works for Nayna, yes. Everything is by appointment, so ask for an early slot when you call. Pickups work the same way on the way home.
Is there a fabric shop in Colbert?
No, and Hobby Lobby's own store list has no Durant store either. The nearest Hobby Lobby fabric department is at 3500 Town Center Road in Sherman, past Nayna's on US-75.
For quilting cotton and notions, Durant has Lulu and Hazel Quilt Shop on Bryan Drive, but confirm hours before you go.
Where do I take things you do not do?
Nayna does not do dry cleaning, leather or shoe repair. Have a garment cleaned before it comes in for alteration if it needs it, and bring it on a hanger so the pressed finish survives the drive.
Free quote
Start a ticket from Colbert.
Tap what you need and Nayna will come back to you about timing and price.
- Free quotes, and no obligation.
- Nayna reads every ticket herself.
- She will say so if it is not a good fit.
Rather talk it through? (903) 815-6603