A Classroom Quilt for Children's Art

Quilting is an art form, with each quilt telling a unique story, and, as a teacher, I am always looking for fresh ways to bring art to the classroom. So it seemed appropriate to make a quilt out of their drawings. We began an Autumn quilt together using fabric markers, freezer paper, and 6 1/2" fabric squares. This could be easily done at home at the kitchen table.

First I ironed freezer paper to the back of the fabric squares--shiny side to the wrong side of the fabric. This serves to stabilize the square so it can be written on. The kids went to town, and had a great time!

What fabric to use for the quilt was my next question. In staying with the Fall theme, I chose prints that reminded me of bandanas and old farms. Each block is a sawtooth star. It highlights each drawing and gives it the quilt a scrappy, country feel. You could make this quilt with art for any season or occasion. It would be perfect for a family with young children, or older ones just for fun!

Leaning on the wisdom of quilters who have gone before me, I like to trim the pieces of the block before sewing them together in order to keep things accurate. Pretty worth it I'd say! During sewing, pieces inevitably get a little crooked or uneven. My blocks look much better when I take the time to trim. After making the blocks, they also can be trimmed before sewing them together in rows.

Basting. So many ways to baste a quilt. Pins, spray, thread... I like pins for this quilt. They keep everything nice a secure. These curved safety pins make basting so much smoother.

Out of the left over fabric from the scrappy quilt squares, jumped a scrappy binding! This particlar roll is 2 1//4" wide rather than the typical 2 1/2" binding. I change the width depending on the method I use to bind the quilt. Then I quilted the top with a simple meander. It is casual enough for the fabric, and doesn't distract from the artwork.

Voila! The finished quilt! It hangs on the classroom wall, and sometimes makes it onto the laps of the children. No matter where it sits, the quilt is a keepsake that tells the story of a particlar group of students in a particular schoolroom. We love it!

What better way to commemorate a family event or life stage than a children's artwork quilt. It could even be a collection of children's art as they grow up, and the quilt made after a few years of saving the art projects.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy quilting!

~Astrid

Quilt Artisan