Rather than an essay this month, I asked Sue Kreft of Salem, Oregon, questions about how quilting, thinking and writing share common creative ground. (see Sue Kreft photo with August 2002 essay)
JM: Thank you for making this wonderful quilt for me, Sue. Whenever I look at it, I'll think of Sisters, Oregon, and all the beautiful creations hung up around the town. When did you begin quilting? Was there some sort of inspiration that guided you to start, or a family tradition? Do you still have your first quilt? Can you describe it for me?
SK: I started quilting in 1988. I had been interested in dollhouse miniatures, and wanted to learn to make a quilt for my dollhouse. The local quilt shop was offering a class on miniature (dollhouse size) quilts. One winter, I had a little extra time in the evening and my mom offered to keep my boys once a week for me (I've been a single mom for years, and couldn't have started without her help). I went in to sign up, and they asked if I had quilting experience. When I said no, they recommended I take a basic quilt class first. I signed up for a sampler class. I made a quilt with 4 different blocks, with borders and sashing, some hand piecing, some machine piecing and one appliqué so as to experience a variety of styles. That quilt is hanging on my bedroom wall. I never did take that miniature quilt class. I guess I should sell some of my miniatures, including the dollhouse shell that's never been finished! I also quit doing counted cross-stitch, with only a couple of tries since! I'm really hooked. No family members quilted that even my mother could remember, although she has a simple quilt top we think was pieced by her grandmother that I finally quilted for her a few years ago. I've done a lot of different needlework, and nothing has touched my soul the way quilting has. When I was showing my son's fiancée a quilt I'm making for him, he told her, "that's what she does" as if it defines me, and I guess it does!
JM: What are your favorite patterns and why?
SK: My favorite pattern is Ohio Star. I don't know why, other than that was the very first block I ever pieced in my first quilt class. It really appeals to me. )
I also like medallion-style quilts. It's never boring with lots of different blocks being used. Start with a single block, and then add a border, then another and another using a different kind and size in each row. I also like scrap quilts, where many different fabrics are used, and combine that with the medallion style. Since I've never figured out how to plan quilts on graph paper as some quilters do, the medallion style is fun because I can change my mind easily as I progress through each border. I used to buy more yardage, now I tend more towards buying fat quarters (quilters will understand this term), which are great for scrap quilts.
I also like to make photo quilts, and have made a number of them, from about 2 feet square, to a large wall quilt. One of my favorites of these are my son Jacob's Eagle Scout quilt, chronicling his progression from a 6-year-old Tiger cub with no front teeth to an almost 18-year-old delivering his finished Eagle project to our church. Another is a quilt I made to commemorate our church's centennial in 1999. It's called "The History of the Kreft and Hartwig families at St. John Lutheran Church - 1908-1999". A long name, but very descriptive. There was at least one picture of every family member who ever belonged to St. John included, going back to my great-grandparents on both sides of my Dad's family, and of course several pictures of my sons, who are the 5th generation.
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Kreft family quilt - this is the one I call The History of the Kreft and Hartwig families at St. John Lutheran Church - 1908- 1999.
Click to enlarge |
JM: Who are some of the people you've made quilts for? Were they requests, or do you choose the styles and fabrics?
SK: My family, of course. Every single one of them has a quilt. My boys have several. One year I made Christmas quilts for the boys and my older niece and nephew, then the younger niece a couple of years after that. They actually made their beds every day for a month during December, for a couple of years anyway! My Mom has quite a few also. Last Christmas I made a small photo quilt with pictures of her mother and her 2 grandmothers, surrounded by fabric that featured a field of lavender, the scent at least one of the grandmothers wore. I also stitched netting over the lavender fabric, and put real lavender flowers behind it. I about passed out when I quilted it, the lavender was so strong! My brothers and their wives have a couple of quilts or so each, so everyone's happy, I think!
I've made quite a few baby quilts. I either make a 9-patch or a 4-block Ohio star, different colors each time.
I've made just a few for very special friends. One of these was for my friend Marilyn, who loves frog things, and was speechless when I gave it to her (several people said they would have paid good money to see that!). It was called Frog Cabin. Such a good title. There were some neat froggy prints out then. Next to the rows of log cabin blocks was a large solid piece of fabric, with this huge frog appliquéd over it and partway onto the log cabins. When the quilt was all done (quilting and binding), I appliquéd another large frog on the back, with one of his arms reaching around to the front! You put a piece of interfacing and batting in the elbow so it doesn't flop over. It was so cool.
Another very special project, as you know, was for your writing friend, Earlene Fowler. I only discovered her books a couple of years ago, and just fell in love with them. They so moved me that I decided to make a cowboy boot stocking for her. Then I decided I should make 2 of them so her husband could have one, too. Well, my capability to come up with great ideas far exceeds the time I have (which is why my fabric stash is so huge - can't seem to make a dent in it), and while working on the stockings, I thought it would be really cool to make a wall hanging (the pattern included both) for Earlene, then I should have one for myself. That grew to FOUR quilts, two for each of us. They are called "Benni's Wedding Boots" and "Gabe's Wedding Boots" in honor of their wedding reception in Earlene's book, Kansas Troubles. It takes long enough to make quilts that there is a lot of time to think, and so this project just kept growing and growing. I think Earlene was pretty overwhelmed when she opened that package! And it was absolutely a joy to give quilts to someone who was so appreciative and loves them so much. Her reaction made me feel so good, just as yours did when we gave you your quilt. It's the best way I know to show someone how much I care about them.
The only real requests have been occasionally the choice of color scheme, and 2 others. The first was a request by my friend Rachel for a block to contribute to the Oregon kidney association, in commemoration of her kidney transplant several years ago. Her niece donated a kidney. I made 3 blocks, so Rachel could also keep one for herself and send one to her niece. It featured 2 Sunbonnet Sue figures, each holding onto a single heart, with the date of the transplant written on it.
The other request was from Earlene. After I made her quilts, we discussed a barter, my part of which would be to make her another quilt. We were trying to find just the right pattern, when she said she had a better idea, we should make a quilt for Jo-Ann! I immediately suggested the log cabin pattern, since you live in Alaska (not knowing your house looks like a log cabin), and putting photos of your dogs in the center square of each block. We even got your husband involved in sending us pictures of the dogs. It went together so quickly, and was one of the most fun quilts I've made. It was so special to present it to you at the Sisters quilt show this past July. And THREE people were able to keep a secret, for several months!
JM: Can you tell me about the organization, United We Quilt, and how you came to be involved in it?
SK: I read about it on Earlene Fowler's website. It's listed in the section of her favorite links to other sites. This is a group of quilters in Vermont who responded to the tragedy of September 11 by forming a group to connect quilters with the families of those killed in the attacks. I thought about it for a while, then e-mailed them and asked for more information. I received their newsletters, and after reading them, decided to volunteer. Within about 2 weeks, I was given the name of a woman in New York with 2 young sons. We corresponded by e-mail, then spoke by phone. She then sent me a large box of her husband's clothes, which I am currently in the process of cutting up to use in quilts, a little at a time. It's hard work, physically on my hands, and emotionally. She would like quilts for the two boys, and also for her in-laws, who are having a difficult time. I went to another quilter for advice, (Karla, who teaches at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest and has experience with memory quilts), and ended up with a partner. She is going to make one of the quilts, so they will be in the hands of the family that much sooner. Way back in September, I thought about how far away we are out here in Salem, Oregon, and what could I really do, as an individual, beyond Red Cross donations. Well, here is the answer, at least for me. There will be a special hour-long ceremony at the State Capitol here in Salem on September 11, and I hope to have one of the quilt blocks finished by then to take with me, along with a small flag. It's amazing to me all the connections that have lead me to this point, this project, new friendships, all starting with picking up an Earlene Fowler mystery book in January 2001 at my local quilt shop. I can directly attribute 9 quilts and 4 Christmas stockings to picking up Kansas Troubles on Super Bowl Sunday. I feel very grateful to Earlene for her wonderful books, which started me on this incredible odyssey.
JM: What's the most difficult quilt you made and why? How long does it take to make one? Do you use a machine or sew by hand?
SK: The most difficult is probably the United We Quilt project, since I'm not using the usual cotton prints I'm used to. There is an emotional quality to using the clothes of someone who died, and it borders on the sacred. Karla told me I would probably notice this man's scent, and every time I open the door to my fabric room, it hits me. Not strong, but definitely there.
The time it takes varies a lot, depending on the size of the quilt, how into the particular quilt I am, and what else is going on in my life at the time. Your quilt, once we got Stewart to send the pictures of your dogs (!), took about a month, start to finish. For some reason, that one really "flowed". I had such a good time with it, both planning it with Earlene, and physically working with it, and looking forward to surprising you with it. I was done with it in mid-April, so we had almost 3 months to wait before you saw it. Can you believe how good we all were at keeping secrets?
I have another quilt I've been working on for my older son, Zach, for about 8 years. It's a tumbling blocks pattern, and I'm hand piecing it because it has a set-in piece and it's easier to match the corners. Unfortunately I'm not enjoying it, but Zach picked the pattern and one of the fabrics (and the overall color, a turquoise blue - man colors!), and I really want to finish it for him. I'm going to try for a lap-size quilt. Now that he's out of college, I imagine he's ready to move out of bunk beds, and I don't think I want to make a full-size quilt out of this once he gets a grown-up bed! This quilt has really traveled. It's easy to pack along, working on small sections at a time. It traveled on a Boy Scout camping trip to Yellowstone for 2 weeks several years ago.
I mostly piece by machine, but once in awhile I do hand piecing. I sometimes do appliqué as well. I always hand quilt. I like the tactile qualities. When I'm around antique quilts, I almost have to put my hands in my pockets to keep from touching them. I know I could make more quilts if I quilted by machine, but it just doesn't appeal to me personally, although there are some talented machine quilters out there. I feel like quilting is my therapy. I'm not sure it wouldn't be cheaper, though, to see a therapist, because of what I've probably spent on fabric and supplies! It's also sometimes prayer time as well. I was working on one of Earlene's quilts last September 11, and I remember thinking, how could I go on? Then I decided, how could I not? So my quilt time became prayer time. My younger son was in the National Guard at the time, so it felt personal as well.
JM: What's the best thing about being a quilter?
SK: Answer #1: Giving away the quilts! Probably surprising people who absolutely had no idea they were about to receive a quilt from me. I don't have many quilting friends, and the people I give quilts to haven't been around quilts a lot, so they find them special because they don't know anyone who owns a quilt. It makes me feel so good to give something that's very much a part of me. I don't feel sometimes that my job is very important, I'm kind of a loner, and I've always wanted to do something that will make a difference. I think quilting fits the bill very nicely. The helplessness we all felt last September 11 was assuaged somewhat for me by becoming involved in United We Quilt. I think it's really going to make a difference for this one family.
Answer #2: Keeping the quilts! You saw quite a few of my quilts when you were in Salem in July, so you know I don't give them all away. When I'm sick and spend the day on the couch feeling sorry for myself, I always cover up with one of my two quilts that have cotton batts. They "drape" so much better than polyester batts, and feel so good. My cats know the difference and prefer cotton. I think they can hear the quilt being unfolded! So there are always foot warmers at the bottom of the quilt.
Answer #3: Making new friends through quilting and finding opportunities that would not have occurred otherwise.
JM: Any advice for beginning quilters?
SK: My favorite piece of advice that I picked up in my very first quilt class has to do with learning to quilt by hand. I was told not to worry about the size of the stitches, but concentrate on making even stitches. Size comes with time. I have found this to be true. I'll also share my own personal rule: No quilt leaves my house that I haven't personally slept under! Even the smallest wall hangings. I don't always share this information with the recipient, either. I slept under Doggies in the Cabin for three months, by the way! And in case the question has occurred to you, no, my cats are not allowed in my bedroom, so any stray cat hair you may find jumped on during the making of the quilt. Did your dogs notice?
JM: And what's your next quilt project?
SK: Am I supposed to list just one thing??? I have at least three, plus I need to finish the high school graduation quilt for my younger son, Jacob, which I've been working on for months, off and on. It's a Civil War reproduction, down to the fabrics and cotton batt. It's about a third quilted. And now Jacob is getting married (next March), and what does a quilting Mom give as a wedding gift? Duh! That's right, a QUILT. So I'm working on that one in my head only so far. It will probably be a medallion quilt, using lots of red prints, since that's his fiancée, Erin's, favorite color. My friend Rachel's cat, Amadeus, just died, and I had her bring me some pictures of him. I'm going to make a small wall hanging for her (smaller than Doggies). And last but not least, the United We Quilt project. At this point, I'm just cutting clothes apart. I never have just one quilt going. It's always several in various stages. Sometimes you need a break from one for a while, especially a large project. I kind of panic when I get close to finishing one if I'm not ready to start another the second it's done.
JM: Sounds a lot like writing. Thanks again, Sue. I-and I'm sure everyone else--look forward to seeing your next quilt come to life.
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