Few household items combine function and beauty more seamlessly than a quilt.
While many hobbies have slipped out of favor, quilting—stitching together three or more layers of fabric and a soft interlining, usually in an ornamental pattern—is enjoying a resurgence. Online tutorials and websites offering fabrics from around the world have opened the hobby to people who may not have access to independent fabric stores, local suppliers or a seasoned quilter to teach them.
With more than 10 million quilters in the United States, the market is projected to grow to $6 billion within a few years, according to the most recent annual survey by Premier Needle Arts.
Two of those quilters are Laurie Stauber and Joan Schneider of the North Coast Needlers Quilt Guild in Rocky River. They’re gearing up for the guild’s show in October and hope to attract more enthusiasts to the hobby they share.
While many of us appreciate the beauty of a handmade quilt and marvel at its colorful precision, quilting has evolved beyond its earliest days of repurposing material scraps into cozy bed covers. Art quilts, emphasizing design over functionality, take a step away from traditional quilt patterns, telling stories or creating pictures with fabric in imaginative and strikingly complex designs.
Connections
Sara Hume is a curator and professor at the Kent State University Museum, which has featured several quilt exhibitions. She says that, as manufactured fabric and thread became more common, sewing patterns for clothing allowed for precision and more waste fabric. That, coupled with the wider availability of sewing machines and, for some, free time, propelled quilting to a hobby and creative outlet. Quilting is gradually getting the attention it deserves as both a functional activity and an art form.
The reason for the disconnect? “Because it’s viewed as a woman-craft and viewed as less than,” Hume says. “Women’s work isn’t valued as much as men’s.”
That brings us back to Stauber and Schneider, in whose skilled hands quilting is both an art and a hobby. The walls in Stauber’s home feature many of her quilts, and her favorite fabrics come from Japan and South Korea; one a pattern of kimonos. Schneider’s are equally artistic, combining subtle fabric patterns and bright colors with bold exuberance.
Northeast Ohio is home to dozens of quilt clubs and guilds. Many, like North Coast Needlers, have speakers and workshops. Membership fees are nominal and members are eager to share their knowledge with those new to the hobby and swap tips with seasoned quilters.
“When you get immersed in a group like (NCC), you see how much better you can be. There’s just so much out there, an amazing number of resources,” Stauber says.
Their club, and most others in the region, welcome new members. Their advice for those interested in quilting is to take a class at a local quilt shop or find a local club and attend a meeting.
Quilting combines a love of sewing, fabric, color and, for many, a bond that few hobbies can boast when the pieces are made and given to others or passed down through a family.
“They have so much personal meaning to people and it has emotional resonance,” Hume says. It has a story to tell and connects people and family. You sleep on it and there’s a kind of intimacy you have with the fabric.”
Quilting Connections
Fabric Obsession, Medina, Fabricobsession.com
Geauga County Public Library (classes), geaugalibrary.libcal.com
Imagine That & More, Cleveland, Imaginethatnmore.com
Memory Lane Quilting, Brecksville, Memorylanequilting.com
Northeast Ohio Regional Quilt Council, Neorqconline.org
Pins & Needles, Middleburg Heights, Pinsandneedles.com
Sew Deja Vu, Stow, Sewdejavu.com
North Coast Needlers Show: Oct. 21 & 22
Interested in quilting? You’ll find plenty of inspiration and encouragement at the North Coast Needlers Autumn Splendor Quilt Show, Oct. 21 and 22 at the Don Umerley Civic Center in Rocky River.
After a multi-year hiatus, NCN is bringing back its popular show, highlighting more than 200 quilts made by its members. Show hours are 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22. Admission is $5. Children 10 and younger are free. Don Umerley Civic Center is located at 21016 Hilliard Blvd.
In addition to quilts, the show includes a boutique, local and regional vendors, a quilt raffle and raffle baskets.
NCN Guild meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at the Don Umerley Civic Center. The public is invited to attend as a guest and the club is open to new members of any skill level. To learn more, go to northcoastneedlers.com.
Marie Elium rescues quilts from yard sales. Her favorite cost $10. She’s the editor of Northeast Ohio Boomer magazine.
Pictured: Laurie Stauber and Joan Schneider of the North Coast Needlers Quilt Guild in Rocky River
