Quilting in the Classroom
March 6, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Home & Living
Quiltmaking and it’s history lends itself in many ways to the classroom, whether simply in one class or across the curriculum. Some of the classes include: math, social studies, reading, art and music
I’ve taught about quilts and quilt history in several schools by:
*Introducing quiltmaking to a 6th grade social studies class that was studying colonial times in America. This was a morning workshop, and the teacher followed up on the projects I started.
*Reading stories about quilts and quiltmaking in 4th grade reading and literature when I do substitute teaching.
*Designing and overseeing the making of a quilt with third and eighth graders. The quilt depicted the town history. My daughter, Beth, and I visited the school five times, working with the teachers and students during different steps in the process.
Beth designed the quilt incorporating various historic sites around the town. The students made 4-patch and 9-patch blocks surrounding the picture blocks. Several students added embellishments. The teachers incorporated the quiltmaking into art, math, reading, and social studies classes.
How have you used quiltmaking and quilt history in homeschooling?
Have your children done anything connected with quilts at school?
(c) 2008 Mary Emma Allen
When my now 19-yr-old daughter was in grade 5, she was studying slavery and the underground railroad. She had read about the quilts that may or may not have been used for escaping and the idea intrigued her.
What she did, with a bit of help from me, is made a picture quilt of what slaves may have had to come across while escaping. She glued fabric to a larger wallhanging size. If I remember correctly, she made a cabin, a river, trees, a clothes line, stuff like that. I helped her sandwich it an put a few stitches in here and ther so it looked quilt-like. The project was displayed and she was very happy with it.
She’s never made another quilt, but this one was very special, I think.
Thank you for sharing your daughter’s experience, Marijke. What an interesting project. Does she still have the quilt? Did you ever take a photo of it? This would be something to treasure.