During parent-teacher conferences, my son, Stephen’s math teacher asked if I would be interested in sharing my quilts with the class when they study tessellations.  Of course!  So this morning I brought a few quilts along as well as a few quilt books.  The children are required to design a tessellation and then create a full colored “poster.”   The kids were very receptive and enjoyed looking at the various ways a block could be colored to fool the eye and create different illusions.  They are also looking at Escher’s works.  I can’t wait to see the designs that may be inspired by the quilts and books!  With permission, perhaps I can post a few when they are complete!

This is the third time my quilts have gone to school.  My boys are always very interested in creating new designs at home – because that’s what Mom does.  But, it’s always amazing to me how most kids get excited when they see the different pattens and colors and get an opportunity to create their own.  The first time was when Stephen was in pre-Kindergarten and I read “The Quiltmaker’s Gift” to the class.  It’s a beautiful  story about a king who learns the joy of giving, but it’s the illustrations that captivate.  In that class, even at the tender age of four, the children had fun replicating the beautiful quilt patterns from the book using crayons and large scale graph paper.   Last year, as you may recall, Andrew’s Kindergarten class made quilt blocks from squares of fabric glued to card stock, which were then taped to the corridor wall in the form of a quilt.  It was the most popular wall display of the year. 

Our guild has an “exhibit” that travels to the various schools in the area.  It is a collection of books and quilts that were made by members based on the quilts that are featured in the books.  It is also very popular with the kids. 

I really enjoyed sharing my quilts with the kids this morning.  Perhaps there may even be a few future quilters among them!

Helle-May