Quilting with Children
Quilt
Heddi's class quilts
 
Heddi

It seems that most of my life experiences have revolved around teaching, learning, and crafting. When I was five and first stepped into a kindergarten classroom, I decided I wanted to be a teacher. My brothers and sister can attest to the amount of time “playing school” they had to endure over the years. A year later, at the age of six, I learned to crochet. I made a scarf that was miles long and gradually skinnier as I dropped stitches from row to row. I was very proud of it and gave it to my best friend as a present.

Throughout my childhood and teen years, I did many kinds of fiber arts and teaching. I learned to sew my own clothes and taught classes to others on subject from theatre to sign language. In early college, I learned to quilt and have had over twenty years of enjoyment from that craft. It was natural when I got my teaching degree to complete a quilt project with my class each year. I’ve also been the education chair for our local quilt guild, helping others teach quilting to children.

After being a classroom teacher for many years, I now run the Educational Resource Center of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. I also run classes and support groups for adults and children at the Resource Center. I have a husband and three wonderful children. The husband graced me with the last name of “Craft” (to the amusement of many of my friends) and the children astound me with their own creativity. I recently had to make room in my sewing area for a sewing machine for my two oldest to use. My middle daughter and I have even started a sewing club with some of her friends.

I originally wrote this page because each year when I taught school and made a quilt, at least one child would come to me and tell me how thrilled they were to finally find something at school that they were good at. I firmly believe we need to provide children with hands on classroom experiences that go beyond the “three Rs” so that they can discover their unique talents and skills. Hopefully, these stories and instructions will inspire more teacher to incorporate quilting into their curriculum.

Some of my projects:

Home · Heddi's class quilts · Your group's quilts · Family quilting · Techniques · Resources