By Fiorella Benson with Alex Chiu
As the 2018-2019 school year comes to a close, we are delighted to share a special photo blog featuring a special end of the year project from one of our MCA classes which beautifully illustrates how skills gleaned from across the Montessori curriculum come together “seamlessly” with stunning results!
The students in one of our MCA classes have been working on a new extension of the Montessori Constructive Triangles, using a sewing machine and their hand sewing skills to make their very first quilt. The children deepened their knowledge of the different shapes they can make with triangles, while learning about symmetry, patterns, and how to design a quilt. This hands-on approach to geometry also gave the children the opportunity to work on a fiber arts project, improve their fine motor skills, develop a sense of order, promote independence, and deepen their concentration. It was an empowering experience for the class to work on this project as a team and to realize that each one of them could thread and operate a sewing machine independently.
The creative process involved the following steps:
Working with the Constructive Triangles and Extensions
The children first created different shapes and patterns with triangles. They worked with the Constructive Triangles and worked on different extensions, such as tracing, coloring, and gluing triangles made out of construction paper.
First Stitches
The children learned how to thread a sewing machine and practiced sewing a straight line, while leaving a ¼- inch seam allowance. They also practiced putting the right pressure on the pedal.
Patterns and Symmetry
The children explored the different shapes and patterns present in a finished quilt, and then proceeded to create their own design as a team. We talked about symmetry and how you can use the same pattern at the top and bottom, or at the right and left side of a quilt.
Sewing Half-Square Triangles
Each child learned how to sew a half-square triangle, which is a square made from two equal right triangles. Then they sewed them together following the pattern they created for their quilt.
Putting the Pieces Together
Once again, students used the sewing machine to put their half-square triangles together.
Hand Tying the Quilt
The students quilted their project by hand, using a tie stitch that runs through the three layers of the quilt and is secured with a few knots.
Topstitching by Hand
To give a colorful final touch to their project, the children topstitched the perimeter of their quilt by hand with running stitches.
Presenting Their Finished Quilt!
Applying the skills the children have developed over the school year to a project such as this is a wonderful way to keep those skills sharp when school is out while at the same time having some family fun and perhaps learning new skills along the way. We hope this photo feature inspires some of our MCA families to consider taking on a special family project that involves creativity, new learning, and fun this summer.
We wish you a happy, healthy, and rejuvenating summer season!