This year’s Swappin’ Meetin’ featured quilter will be Sarah Kollatschny, of Chappell. Kollatschny is a third generation quilter who learned her craft from her mother and grandmother, as did her sisters.

As part of her family’s quilting tradition, Kollatschny has a collection of what she calls “family” quilts. At family reunions, Kollatschny, her sisters, and even some of their pre-teen granddaughters get together, and at each of these gatherings bring selections of materials with them in order to make a quilt square. The women get together and talk and work together as each one sews her quilt square block. Everyone puts puts her name on her own block. Then all the blocks are sewn together, quilted, and completed often by Kollatschny to make that year’s reunion “family” quilt.

In honor of last Memorial Day, Kollatschny, with some assistance from Pat Duncan and the UK Extension Office quilt clubs spent several months, making 125 armed forces quilts. She used different material, patterns and colors that represented each branch of the military. After the quilts were completed, they were distributed to veterans from each branch of the service on Memorial Day. Walmart also supported this project and contributed all the backing material for each quilt.

Over the years Kollatschny has created a variety of different quilts. She says she likes to make “character” quilts. One of her quilts is an applique snowman quilt. Each snowman makes up its own individual square. She has a sleuth snowman, a grandmother, a fiddler, and a granddaughter snowman included in that quilt.

Kollatschny has created a variety of quilts using applique, needlepoint, and a variety of fabrics which also make use of a variety of themes. Her unique and colorful perspective has earned her a spot as this year’s Kingdom Come Swappin’ Meetin’ featured quilter.