Creating a Friendship Quilt: Expressing Gratitude with Art

“Expressing gratitude with art. Fun ways to help little ones express their gratitude creatively”.

This month was dedicated to giving and gratitude. The children were inspired by the book, “The Friendship Quilt” while creating in The Studio (our art area). We discussed friendship, giving and what it means to create hand-crafted gifts for people who are special in our lives.

To create our own quilt, we recycled fabrics that were colorful and had different textures and designs. This allowed students to gain confidence in their abstract thinking and decision-making. The children were also asked to include natural objects that they found in The Glenn (our outdoor garden), which stimulated creative problem-solving skills and sensory development. They also practiced fine motor skills when using a needle and thread. This project emphasized the importance of working together and the deeper meaning behind giving and receiving.

We aimed to discuss and implement conversation about teamwork in an effort to empower each child to participate in the creative group project. The children felt a sense of accomplishment, pride and happiness when the quilt project was complete and hung up in the classroom for all to see.

Materials:

• Recycled fabrics
• Natural objects: leaves, seed pods, sticks, and flowers
• Cardboard: cut down to size, approximately 4”x 6” or bigger
• Elmer’s glue in a cup
• Paintbrushes
• Hole punch or pin tool
• Embroidery needles
• Yarn

Steps:

1.  Give each child a piece of 4” x 6” recycled cardboard, a small cup of glue and a paintbrush, and their fabrics and objects. Have children glue fabrics and objects onto their recycled cardboard. 

Each piece of cardboard will be unique when creatively collaged.

2.  Poke two holes on each side of the finished cardboard.

3. Use an embroidery needle and yarn to stitch two boards together. Pair up the students so that one student holds the cardboard and the other student sews.

4. Have the students work in groups of four to stitch four panels together.

5.  Finally, invite each student to help hold the perimeter of the panels to stitch the entire quilt together.

6. The quilt is complete!

Blog by Julie Goldstein – Master Artist & Art Studio Teacher

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If you enjoyed this post we invite you to read our blog, “The Benefits of Reading Poetry with Your Child.”

Carmel Mountain Preschool provides a safe and caring environment with hands-on, developmentally-appropriate programs for children. We also offer excellent care for elementary school-age students with our before and after school programs. CMP is located at 9510 Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego CA 92129, situated between 4S Ranch, Rancho Peñasquitos, Carmel Valley, and Santaluz For more information, please visit our website or contact us at 858.484.4877.