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Appalachian Quilts and Culture

This lesson plan comes from a course on Appalachian Literature and Culture taught in fall 2009 by Anita Skeen in Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, and assisted by quilt artist and instructor Chris Worland and then doctoral student Amanda Sikarskie.
 
LEARNING STATEMENT
The students will study quilts in Appalachian history and culture in the classroom and visit the MSU Museum’s Great Lakes Quilt Center for a showing of historic Appalachian quilts.  The students will piece and finish one quilt block and participate in a class quilting bee, learning hand quilting skills as a group using a traditional quilt frame.

• I Sewing machine tutorial workshop
• II Visit to MSU Museum's Great Lakes Quilt Center
• III Classroom lecture/discussion – DEPRESSION ERA QUILTS IN APPALACHIA
• IV Piece and bind pinwheel quilt block
•  V Participate in class quilting bee

 MATERIALS
• ​Sewing machines with walking foot
• Cutting mats and rotary cutters
• A selection of 1930/40s  reproduction fabrics
• Muslin, black and dark blue fabric
• Thread
• Scissors
• Irons and ironing boards

 PROCESS FOR STEP IV: PIECE AND BIND A PINWHEEL BLOCK
• Step I: Students will participate in a sewing machine tutorial learning parts of the machine and basic skills such as threading the machine, stitching in parallel lines and securing stitches.
• Step 2: Students will learn rotary cutting skills and cut strips and triangles for a pinwheel quilt block using reproduction fabrics from 1930/40s to develop an original combination.
• Step 3: Students will use paper piecing quilting techniques choosing significant text, newspaper articles, poems, etc to leave in the block.  They will piece and bind the quilt block.
• ​Step 4: Students will participate in a quilting bee with community members.  They will learn hand quilting techniques and use an antique top from the Depression era.  They will use a traditional quilt frame.

Anita Skeen, Chris Worland,
September 2009
Level: Post-Secondary (College or University)
Content Area: Art, History


Subject: Art

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