Training 4: Quilt Me a Story

 Maggie Hankamp (PC Volunteer in Ukraine)

(a real expert in quilting and patchwork)

(Natalia Chornen'ka  (a teacher of English at Koziatyn Primary School)

and Maggie H., quilting stories about their future plans)

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Quilt Me a Story

Susan Meeske

Quilting is a craft that has roots deeply sown into the heart of America. Surviving quilts that date back to the early and mid-1800s are reminders that quilts are an important part of our heritage. Quilts originally were of a utilitarian nature. They protected people from the cold. They were used as door and window coverings.

They could be folded and used as cushions in a wagon or slung over a clothesline and used as a play tent for children. Quilt making was a skill that men or women could enjoy singularly or collectively. It was a means to escape from the isolation of their lifestyle and it allowed them the artistic freedom to express themselves. The quilts produced by our ancestors told stories about their lifestyles that could not be captured by pen and paper. Every quilt we see today, regardless of when the quilt was made, relates a story.

The types of fabrics, the design of the quilt, the signature of the quilter, all reveal a intimate story of the woman or man who made the quilt. This discussion is about the use of quilting as a medium for storytelling by our ancestors and how contemporary story quilts can be integrated into a Whole Language curriculum in the classroom. First, there is an explanation of quilting as a means of expression and storytelling by women in American history, plus illustrations of how different cultures have influenced American quilting. Second, there are two examples of story-web quilting. The story-web quilting process blends storytelling through quilting with the writing skills taught using Whole Language exercises in a classroom /http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/books/MEESKE.pdf/