June First Friday events at UNL include the debut of the “Modern Marvels: Quilts Made from Kits, 1915-1950” exhibit at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.

The exhibit is the topic of a 7 p.m. June 6 gallery talk at the museum. Marin Hanson, curator of exhibitions at the quilt museum, will lead the discussion. Other First Friday events, which run from 4:30 to 7 p.m., include an exhibition-themed activity for children and a Nebraska Wildflower Week map of the museum’s garden.

“We’re excited to share some excellent examples of this very popular style with our visitors,” Hanson said. “Quilts made from kits are recognized as a hallmark of the early 20th century, an era when quilt making was at a zenith. Many people today still remember older relatives making quilts, a great number of which were likely made from commercially produced kits.”

In the 1920s and 1930s, quilt kits were new on the market and seen as a modern, time-saving way to make well-designed bed coverings. Kits included ready-made sets of die-cut pieces for applique and pieced quilts.

“Modern Marvels: Quilts Made from Kits” features some of the designers, companies and publications that were well-known for their kits during this time period. The exhibition will include pieces from Marie Webster, Anne Orr and other famed designers from the era.

The revived exhibition will include a mix of pieces from the original exhibition, which originally ran in 2003, along with never-before displayed pieces, such as a Hubert ver Mehren Royal Aster quilt created in 1935 by Julia Maude Marsh Smith, a Nebraska quilt maker.

While quilt kits came to prominence in the early 20th century, kits continue to be manufactured today through fabric shops, catalogs and crafting websites.

“If you go on any craft or DIY site today, you will find an array of quilt kits for sale,” Hanson said. “Some of these kits are in newer, more modern styles, but many of them are revivals of classic patterns that would have been popular 80 or 100 years ago. Using a kit is still seen as a convenient way to make a well-designed, attractive bed covering.”

Other First Friday events at UNL include:

• A celebration of the “Contemporary Indignity” exhibition at the Great Plains Art Museum from 5-7 p.m. The juried exhibition includes more than 30 contemporary artists whose work examines Native American life and culture in the Great Plains today. The celebration includes a short talk by the exhibit’s juror Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Native American foods.

• Opening of the exhibit “T.L. Solien: Toward the Setting Sun” at the Sheldon Museum of Art. Solien received a master of fine arts degree in painting and sculpture at UNL in 1977. The First Friday event at Sheldon is 5-7 p.m.