- Jan Krentz

January 12, 2009

About a week before Christmas I spoke with author and quilt teacher Jan Krentz. Jan’s new book Quick Star Quilts & Beyond comes out in March and will be sold through local quilt shops and online, on Jan’s own website and in her classes. We talked about the new book, Jan’s teaching philosophy, and why people love to quilt.

Jan makes traditional quilts, but uses fresh, updated fabrics and this is highlighted in her new book. She also sells 45-degree diamond ruler templates to help make the featured star quilt. Jan describes it as a Lemoyne Star on a large scale.

Jan has worked with star designs for years and began selling the rulers in classes, but she says her students didn’t know what to do with them when they got home. Jan wrote the book to answer their most common questions. How big will it be? How much yardage should I buy?

These patterns make fast quilts. Each of the twenty patterns take about 5 to 10 hours depending on the complexity of the design. More complex patterns like Broken Stars take a bit longer, but you can piece the whole top in one day. Jan describes these as “pedal to the metal” quilts – something a quilter can do quickly just for fun.

Jan says, “People are looking for simple projects so they can feel a sense of accomplishment.” She hopes the book will appeal to beginners or advanced beginners and people who don’t have a lot of time to put into quilting. These quilts would make good samples to showcase a fabric collection and also appeal to anyone who needs a fund-raiser quilt, graduation quilt, or other quilt with a deadline. They will look attractive, but won’t take a lifetime to make.

The book incorporates a variety of fabric styles to showcase the different designs. The quilts in the book were made by several different guest quilters so that Jan could showcase the variety of fabric styles that work with this pattern.

Jan is planning classes based on the new book. She says that quilt guilds are requesting shorter classes from 3 to 6 hours. This is a challenge for the teacher who must factor in travel time and expenses. To make it cost-effective, the teacher needs at least two days worth of classes to compensate the two days of travel, while workshop attendees need shorter classes to fit into their schedules. It’s challenging to balance these two requirements.

Quick Star Quilts & Beyond is available for order through Amazon or on Jan’s website.

Jan and I talked about the common phenomena of people trying a wide variety of crafts before finding quilting and becoming hooked. I know I tried macrame, cross-stitch, crochet, garment making, tole painting and many other crafts before I found quilting.

Jan said that in her opinion people stick with quilting because of the beautiful fabrics, the challenging designs, the people, and the ability to make something that is fun, exciting, and useful.

“You can quilt even as you age. It’s a hobby that doesn’t take a lot of strength or vigor.”

Jan encourages individual expression and the use of whatever skills the student already knows. Students in her workshops often have mixed skill levels and people from all walks of life take the classes so she tries hard to represent the quilting community well.

When I asked Jan how she got into teaching, she said that there is nothing more satisfying than making something beautiful with your hands. Then someone says, “Show me how,” and suddenly you’re a teacher. She sees her role as breaking complex projects into simple, achievable steps and facilitating the success of her students so that they can look back on the class and feel positive about the whole experience. Jan says, “A school teacher has the same students for a whole year, while a quilting teacher only has the student for a few hours so they have to maximize class time.”

Jan’s favorite books are resource and reference books and books that challenge her mentally. She collects technique books, coffee table books, and how-to books.

In her experience Jan notes that beginner quilters take classes, but intermediate quilters tend to shy away. Jan says this is a shame because they have the basic skills and could easily learn to make more complicated quilts. She encourages people to keep taking classes to improve their skills and learn new techniques because once you know the basics you can easily jump to the next level. There are a lot of necessary skills and you can always improve on what you already know.

Jan gave me this example: A beginning mechanic will learn how to change oil and replace wiper blades, and other simple tasks, but if he wants to advance he has to learn more the technical skills. The same is true for a quilter or anyone else who is learning a craft or trade.

You don’t need a perfect quilting studio to hone your craft!

Jan’s first “studio” was two drawer units from an old vanity that she bought at a flea market. She balanced a board across them to create her sewing table. She could take it down and move it whenever she had to – which was frequently since her husband was in the military. They lived in some remote areas and she was still able to sew. Quilting is completely portable and versatile.

Jan now lives in California and has a “real” studio, but that can have its drawbacks. During the recent wild fires they had to evacuate their home. They took only what was important to them – their pets, computers, important paperwork and Jan’s quilts. She loaded the back of their Suburban just with her best quilts and had to leave some behind. Thankfully their home was spared and her quilts were all ok!

You can read Jan’s blog, read about her new Lonestar DVD and see Jan’s useful and surprising list of quilting skill levels. You can also check out some free patterns, or order fabrics!