Earlier this month Kyle, my dad, Sophie and I went to a quilt dedication at Creekside Elementary, where my mom teaches kindergarten. To create the quilt you see here, my mom’s students used a lot of the philosophies of the Reggio Emilia Approach (which my mom studied in Italy earlier this year). They sold homemade wrapping paper during the holidays to earn money to buy quilt supplies. With minimal guidance from adults, they chose the shape, size, colors and design of the quilt. They then went around the school in pairs photographing “the story of their school.” The perspectives of the resulting photographs were fascinating, as were the reasons the students chose to include them in the quilt.
I hope Sophie someday has a similar kindergarten experience.
Speaking of Sophie, she received many lovely homemade gifts, including several quilts. Following are just a few of them.
Here she’s doing “tummy time” on a quilt Andy’s mom made for him 29 years ago.
Here Sophie is on a quilt Jen Paisley made as a shower gift.
And here she is on a quilt my mom made before she was even born.
“Some may wonder if hand sewing, with its seemingly endless stitches, has a real place in today’s busy home. Just as comfortable a place, we reply, as the rocking chair in the nursery.” —Sarah Howard Stone