Quilts

Looking for a fun way to integrate art, math, and social studies? Already doing a quilt math unit, but need a few new ideas? Hoping to add a new twist on U.S. history? We hope these quilt links will keep you (virtually) warm and cozy!

Quilts: A Study of Patterns, Shapes and Relationships provides information on a first grademath and quilting project.

The NCTM's Illuminations site provides a multi-day lesson called Paper Quilts. The lesson asks students to investigate fractional parts of the whole and use translation, reflection, rotation, and line symmetry to make four part quilt squares.

Edsitement, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, features several quilt-related lesson plans, including Family and Friendship in Quilts (grades K-2), History in Quilts (grades 3-5), and Stories in Quilts (grades K-2). (Search using "quilts.")

Quilts and Quiltmaking in America: 1978-1996, from the Library of Congress, provides a glimpse into America's diverse quilting traditions through two collections of quilt-related materials. One is a series of photographs and interviews with traditional quiltmakers in North Carolina and Virginia. The second collection pictures prize-winning quilts from national contests sponsored during the 1990s, and includes essays and information about the quilters and their quilts.

Collection Connections provides teacher resources for using the Library of Congress Quilts and Quiltmaking site. Lessons and activities for history, critical thinking, and arts and humanities are included.

The University of Virginia's American Studies Program presents Southern Quilting: 150 Years of Shared Traditions. The online exhibit examines both quilt patterns and the role of quilting in America. The site includes a description of European and African quilting traditions, a look at seven individual quilters, and a selective online archive of American literary works that center around the role of quilts.

African American Quilting Traditions are preserved at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the National Museum of American History. This site, also from Women's Early Art, provides photographs and information about the quilter and her quilts.

A Piece of My Soul: Quilts by Black Arkansans is an online exhibit of quilts made by members of Arkansas's black community from 1880 to present. The Old State House Museum also provides additional information about the exhibit and a printable brochure.

The National Museum of American History provides an online gallery of Quilts, Counterpanes and Throws. The collection includes a wide variety of historic quilt designs, including patriotic quilts, Amish quilts, and crazy quilts.

Quilt Blocks, from the World Wide Quilting Page, provides blueprints for the blocks for many different quilt patterns. Another page at this site features a coloring book with printable quilt patterns that could be enlarged and colored by students.

The Quilt Index offers access to contextual information and images of quilts held in several private and public collections. Users can type in the name of a quilt pattern to see photographs of quilts, or browse the collections by time period, style and technique, or function of the quilt.

Stitch a Quilt from the Library of Congress America's Library site for elementary-age students gives a brief history of and information about quilting in the U.S.

America's Quilting History provides articles about women's quilting throughout U.S. history. The site, which is produced by a quilting enthusiast, includes a section for teachers and students and one on common myths, such as the one about quilts being used to convey secret messages for the Underground Railroad.

Quilts in the Classroom contains suggestions from children's author Anna Grosnickle Hines for activities to accompany her book Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts.

Faith Ringgold's website features images of many of her quilts. The author of Tar Beach and other children's books is best known for her painted story quilts.

The website for The Quiltmaker's Gift provides information about this picture book, it's author and illustrator, and the quilt patterns featured in the book. Check the Activities section for descriptions of subplots contained in qult patterns strategically placed throughout the story, and for help finding the hidden quilt pattern "things" in the puzzle inside the book jacket.

Geometry in Traditional Quilt Design is a unit plan designed for seventh grade math students. It combines local history and mathematics as students attempt to discover new patterns, designs, and variations created by the people of their region.

Information about Hmong quilts or Pa Ndau can be found at these sites:

• America's Quilting History: Hmong Needlework from Womenfolk.org
• Hmong Textiles from the University of California - Irvine
• Folk Arts - The Thread of Life: Hmong Needlework from the Washington state arts commission

Threads of Freedom: The Underground Railroad Story in Quilts is an exhibition from Oberlin College in Ohio. The website features photographs of quilts that commemorate aspects of the Underground Railroad.

Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity is an exhibit from the National Museum of African Art. This site does not concern quilts, but for teachers who are working on repeating patterns, the "Create Kente" feature allows students to choose a pattern of Kente pieces and see how the whole fabric will appear when the pieces repeat.

Created 10/2005
Last updated 6/2/10