Today’s post is written by Bren, a contributor to PreKinders.
We make these easy-to-make quilts for our P.J.’s and Pancakes Day.
I show the preschoolers several real quilts with a suggestion that they can make a pattern on their quilt with the fabric squares if they want.
Materials Needed:
- Felt squares (one per child)
- Heat and Bond iron-on fabric adhesive
- Colorful fabric
- An iron and a pressing cloth (a piece of cotton fabric)
To make the quilts:
Teachers or parents will need to prepare the quilt squares in advance by ironing and cutting the fabric. First, following the directions on the Heat and Bond fabric adhesive, iron the adhesive to the back side of the colorful fabric. When done, there will be paper on the back of the fabric.
Next, cut the fabric into squares (about 2”, but doesn’t have to be exact.)
To design their quilt, children will peel off the paper back and place the colorful squares on the felt square. Most of the children naturally line up the squares. Some make more of a “crazy quilt”. 🙂
Adults will use a slightly damp pressing cloth and iron to fuse the colorful squares to the felt. It takes about a minute. (Directions are on the Heat and Bond package). Done.
I use the book Cassie’s Word Quilt to make a word quilt with my kids of their favorite activities with their families. I invite the parents for the event. They help their children write and draw on the 12 1/2 squares. We display our quilt in the classroom during the week. The kids can and frequently do locate their square!
Thanks for your idea with the heat and bond. I’ll try that, too!
Looks great! So easy for the kids. Just make sure that they be careful with that hot iron. Parental supervision strongly encouraged!
It says “Adults” will iron it.
Do you have to use felt as the backing or would it still work with a larger piece of fleece material or something similar?
Amber & Tammie – I’ve always used felt for the background and cotton fabric for the squares, but I’m sure other fabrics would work also. The Heat & Bond package may list the kinds of fabrics that work well. The other option would be to do a little test with different fabrics. Brenda
Thanks for the great idea!
Thank you for this beautiful idea ** I am a doctoral student in the Department of kindergarten from the University of Baghdad, Iraq, enjoying a very wonderful thoughts and I would like to communicate with you always. ** Note there but I am wary of the use of irons with the kids and I thank you very much
As mentioned, adults should do the ironing. 🙂
As always, Brenda!
I would like to know what other fabrics could be used. It would b something that could give the kids tactile experience if different fabrics could b used.
I’ve had the kids make a quilt square and we added it to one large square as part of our Black History month. I had some fabric that I was able to get from one of those drapery stores. I also read the story Tar Beach by Faith Ringold. It is a little long but my kids like It after I’ve read it a few times. It has the quilts around the edges of the book and in the book. This year I invited the parents to work with their child on a small quilt square at home to bring to school to add to our quilt. I thought that was a great idea. I put pieces of fabric and the little squares to glue onto it. I thought I would have gotten more participation with this but I didn’t but maybe someone else’s class would be different and participate more. When we were finished and we had enough squares, we hung it up and I wrote on a piece of paper next to the quilt” A world of Color- We are both same and different”.
Each year we host a Pre-K art show at our school and I try to introduce students to artists past and present. THis year I’ve been teaching my 3-5 year olds about Faith Ringgold and her ‘story quilts. We’ve read about her life growing up, as well as several of her books (including Tar Beach and Cassies Word Quilt). There are some great interview videos on You-Tube as well as the Faith Ringgold website. We are creating a classroom quilt using student dr
awn self portraits (with fabric crayons) and our “stories”. I am a quilter, so I will be putting it all together to create the final quilt. I’m toying with the idea of individual quilt squares that I can lace together so they can be saved and given to students when they “graduate” from Elementary school.
Very impassive work of preschools kids.