There are people in this world who can take pieces of fabric and make magic. The result is a quilt that is not only beautiful, but functional.
At the 2017 OC Fair, the winner of her division and Best in Show for quilting is Cypress resident Jane Koeberle. She was shocked to learn she had won the big prize.
“This is the first time I’ve entered a contest,” said Koeberle. “I couldn’t believe it when my friend told me I won. She saw the ribbons when she went to the fair.”
There are people in this world who can take pieces of fabric and make magic. The result is a quilt that is not only beautiful, but functional.
At the 2017 OC Fair, the winner of her division and Best in Show for quilting is Cypress resident Jane Koeberle. She was shocked to learn she had won the big prize.
“This is the first time I’ve entered a contest,” said Koeberle. “I couldn’t believe it when my friend told me I won. She saw the ribbons when she went to the fair.”
“I started quilting in 2001,” said Koeberle. “I remember seeing a picture quilt someone made for an anniversary. My parent’s 50th anniversary was in a few months and I thought I could sew straight lines. I bought my first book and that’s how I started.”
Koeberle takes quilt lessons at Orange Quilt Bee shop, located on Katella at Orange. She started there three years ago making a table runner. The instructor brought out a quilt called Glacial Star. It took six months, but, going once each month, she learned the technique for making that quilt.
Her OC Fair winning quilt is a pattern called Fire Island Hosta. The pattern is based on a Hosta, which is a shade-tolerant foliage plant. OC Fair visitors are invited to see the quilt hanging in the Visual Arts Building. Koeberle used vibrant turquoise, yellow, and matching prints to make the design ‘pop.’
“My husband, Dan, helps with color-matching,” said Koeberle. “Sometimes, I can’t find the right combination of colors, but he finds perfect colors for me to use. It’s a team effort.”
The winning quilt is large, 74 inches by 74 inches, took six months to complete, and will become a wall-hanging in her living room once the fair is over. Throughout her home she has quilt stands which hold samples of her talent.
She typically makes four quilts each year, many of which she gives away as gifts to family and friends. She contributed a quilt to the Quilt of Valor project that went to a man who served in Afghanistan. The organization collects donated quilts and gives them to former military members.
In her everyday life, Koeberle is an operating room nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. She finds quilting to be relaxing and works the side of her brain that is creative as opposed to her analytical side.
“I have to remember that not all points have to be exact. I follow patterns and enjoy doing paper piecing, especially Quilt-in-a-Day patterns by Eleanor Burns.”
“I have so much fabric in my stash that I am now officially part of what is called fabric beyond life expectancy,” said Koeberle. “I like bright jewel tones like what I used in my OC Fair quilt. Lately, I find I like working with batiks.”
Her quilting room is decked out with a large cutting table, Koala table which holds her nested sewing machine and ironing board for pressing seams. She has all the tools to make quilts with professional style.
“I buy my fabric from Orange Quilt Bee. I find the fabrics to be thicker and better than what is found in big stores, but, everywhere we go, I look for quilt shops.”
There is currently a quilting classes called Patchwork at Bethany Church in Long Beach. They are on the fourth Friday night and Saturday morning each month. The class is four weeks into the six-week session, but people can contact the church at 562-597-2411 to find out about upcoming class sessions.
Koeberle is looking forward to the award ceremony at the OC Fair on Aug. 12 where she will be recognized for her award-winning quilt.
This article appeared in the August 2, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.
