Sixteen years ago, Susan Kolb wanted to pick up a hobby so she took a quilting class.
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Susan Kolb in front of the Sudoku quilt that hangs in her office at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. |
Below Kolb talks quilting with UNMC Today.
What is quilting?
The action of quilting is the sewing of a design through all the layers to create the overall quilting effect on the quilt. The quilting keeps the layers from shifting. The quilting process can be done by hand or machine.
All quilts consist of three layers:
- The backing, which is usually plain fabric;
- The batting or middle layer, which gives it thickness and warmth; and
- The top layer, which is usually pieced together to create the pattern of the whole quilt.
What do you enjoy about quilting?
I love going to the quilt shop and finding the right fabric to make the top. I like the challenge of piecing the top together and then quilting it by hand. It’s very relaxing. Quilting, however, is not a quick project.
What do you do with your quilts when you finish making them?
Usually give them away. I’ve been making quilts for each of my six brothers and sisters. I have one left to do. I make quilts for my grandchildren and as gifts for new babies. I also do what I call “chemo” quilts for friends who are going through cancer treatments. I’ve donated some to my church and the JP Lord School to raffle off. I’ve made a quilt for a wounded soldier and have one hanging in my office. I don’t need an excuse to make quilts. I just keep sewing. Someone will want it.
Describe your best quilting experience.
Just recently my six year old grandson thought he could make a quilt on construction paper. His “quilt” is still taped to the wall in our living room and my quilted version of it is hanging in his bedroom. Kids love quilts.
What is something most people don’t know about quilting?
How satisfying it is. Most people think in terms of how much work it takes. Quilts aren’t old-fashioned anymore. They can be vibrant pieces of art.
I absolutely love hand-made quilts. I have a friend who loves to quilt, & they're beautiful! I own a really old fashioned one that was pieced together by two old spinsters that knew my great aunt long ago. I love it!!!
I have a quilt that my mother-in-law made for me and my husband when we got marriedover 20 years ago. I cherish it very much and it will most likely be given to my daughter as a family heirloom to pass down through generations to come. Keep on quilting, Susan!
I have three quilts two of which were made by my grandmother and sister. My grandmother was a diabetic and spent the last part of her life wheelchair bound. She quilted by hand to keep herself busy. The quilt "tops" were kept by my mother for many years. My sister then finished them, also by hand, and they are hanging on a handmade quilt rack in a hallway in my home. I will always cherish them. The third quilt was completed by my sister and is made from hankies that my grandmother purchased and saved. One still has the price tag – .29 cents! It is also on display on my quilt rack. My grandmother passed away in 1960.