After a long day as director of the GI Lab, Tina Hoss, BSN, CGRN, unwinds by putting fabric on a machine and sewing. Quilting for Tina is a hobby and a stress reliever. She even takes her sewing machine when she travels to Lake of the Ozarks for vacation.
Self Taught
Tina taught herself to quilt eight years ago by reading a book. Within two months, she completed three quilts for Christmas gifts.
As her love for quilting grows, Tina also plans to teach quilting classes, in addition to making quilts. “There is nothing better than someone giving you a piece of fabric and you returning it as a useable, completely different item,” Tina said.
Quilts Stand Test of Time
Experts believe quilting started with the Egyptians more than 5,000 years ago. During the Depression, women used worn-out clothes to make quilts to survive the cold winters, and throughout the Civil War, handmade quilts warmed the soldiers. Since the 19th century, quilts were made at quilting bees, which served as much a social gathering as a place to make quilts.
Tina hopes to see a resurgence in quilting among younger people. In a 2006 survey, there were more than 27 million quilters, up from 21 million in 2003, but the average age was 59 years old.
