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030401
Published Sunday, April 27, 2003
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HERMITAGE By Larissa Theodore Herald Staff Writer Joe Zentis, 62, of Hermitage, enjoys the company of women. Maybe because he's used to being surrounded by them. He and Edi, his wife of 36 years, have three grown-up daughters. They also have a granddaughter. When asked to join the Pieceful Pursuits Quilt Guild, a group of all-female quilters, Zentis wasn't fazed. "I love being surrounded by women," he said. Nonetheless, his wife had to talk him into joining, since he had never made a quilt in his life. He began quilting a little more than a year ago. His knack for creativity drove him to eventually complete three. Up until last year, he had never touched a sewing machine. The Quilt Guild, which both Zentis and his wife belong to, meets in Clark the last Monday of the month at the home of Judy Shaffer, president of the quilters. Members do service projects such as making lap top quilts to donate to area hospitals, and they made a quilt for the cancer center at the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System. They do a show and tell at each meeting. Members bring in something they've created and show it off to the others. Guild members then decide which quilt should be featured on the Web site for a month. While some might perceive quilting as a "feminine " activity, Zentis views it as art. Every quilt he makes is based on his own designs, never any patterns. "I design all of my own," he said. "Very few quilters design their own, but I don't use patterns. It's against my principles. " The first quilt Zentis made involved images of a sunrise and leaves. His second quilt, a Santa Claus Ñ which looked like a mosaic Ñ was created using two-inch squares. Zentis stumbled upon the idea for his third quilt after the guild was asked to make a quilt for a raffle fund-raiser to benefit the Colorado AIDS Coalition in Denver. They wanted to make something that would reflect the Rocky Mountains and were trying to think of patterns. He drummed up a quilt design for the group, with each member making their own 12-inch block of mountain fabric. The pieces were then sewn together to make one large quilt, which raised $1, 500 in the raffle. He later refined the pattern and put a second quilt together. It won first place for original design at the Canfield Fair, one of Ohio's largest county fairs. Soon, he began publishing his own patterns. His next aim is the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colo., which has a show of quilts made by men every two years. Zentis plans to submit the mountain quilt he made. Though he doesn't walk around thinking of himself as a "male quilter," others are surprised when they hear that aspect of his many talents. When he and his wife entered their quilts into the Transfer fair last year, they were questioned about the Santa quilt he entered. "At first they thought she was entering two quilts, but was entering one under my name," Zentis laughed. He won second place at the Transfer Fair. Mrs. Zentis, who has been sewing for years, took first place with her breast cancer quilt. Zentis has always had a love for fabric, colors and designs. "He always loved fabric," Mrs. Zentis said. "He bought me 30 yards of quilting fabric one Mother's Day. " Zentis is also a writer, freelancing for The Herald, among others. He is secretary of the Pennwriters, a statewide writing organization. He wrote children's stories that he would like to get published. He also holds a particular interest in veterans and is working on a book on the Shenango Valley's contributions to World War II. He is also involved with the Penn State Library Writing, 6:30 to 8:30 p. m. every first and third Wednesday. He admits to having a rather extensive resumŽ. Paperboy. House painter. Teacher. Infantry officer. Professional graduate student. College teacher. Upholsterer. Graphics designer. Small-business owner. Radio station manager. Corporate newsletter editor. World traveler. Encyclopedia salesman. Communications specialist. Greeting cards. Pinsetter. Embroidery designer. Singer/songwriter/guitar player. "It's always a matter of focus," he said of being a busy-body. "I spend five minutes here and there, but there's too many things to do. People talk about having nothing to do after retiring, but I have so many things I want to do, I have no time. " "I like to create and help others create. That's my primary thing," he said. He and his wife controlled their own upholstery shop for 12 years, but Zentis never touched the sewing machine back then. He let his wife do all the sewing. Now they work in adjoining rooms on the ground floor of their home. "We love to do things together, which definitely helps," Mrs. Zentis said. "We love being with each other. " Zentis said his next step is to combine poetry with quilting. His next quilt is going to be nothing like his others: a gothic collage of black patchwork. "It's going to be really spectacular," he said. You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com |
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Questions/comments: online@sharonherald.com Reproduction or retransmission in any form is prohibited without our permission. 030401
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