Traralgon Neighbourhood Learning House
Traralgon East

Quilts of Unity

Decorating a Square

Painting or Drawing

You can use any paints, pencils, crayons etc that you like, as this is a quilt that is unlikely to ever be washed. However you need to make sure you do not use any “chalky” pastels, as the quilt may often be folded for transport to various venues, and these may mark other squares.

Ideas for Kids: photocopy a design from a colouring book, and then put the calico over the top, and maybe use light from behind (eg on a glass table). Outline with lead pencil and colour in with coloured pencils. If you keep dipping the pencils in water as you use them you get more intense colours and they blend better. You can then sew sequins or beads on if you wish. Or glue on glitter.

The dragon above was copied from a book, coloured in with crayons and then highlighted with pencils dipped in water. Parents could maybe dye the calico first with crepe paper and boiling water.

Quilting

You can quilt or applique any other fabrics to the square. This can include collaging lace, braid, motifs or badges to the square.

Crazy Patch

You can crazy patch any fabrics together - this works really well with pieces of uniforms or other special fabrics. Embroidery You can embroider directly onto the calico, or over fabric that you have sewn to the calico.

Dyeing

You can dye the calico. The cheapest dyes are to use boiling water and crepe paper streamers. You could tie-dye the fabric and then paint or write messages on it.

Adding things

It is fine to add “hard” things to the square, such as buttons, beads, pins etc. The only thing to watch out for is that you do not make the square too heavy.

Things to Avoid

We are trying to avoid rules, but it is important that you do not sew “hard” things on within 3cm of the edge, as we have to sew the squares together. Also, as we expect these quilts to travel around, it is probably better to avoid adding paper or anything that might tear. You can add strips of fabric that hang free, but it is important that they be very firmly sewn to the square at at least one point.

If you do need to add paper it may be best to have it in small pieces and then laminate it first. Small pieces of laminated paper are excellent.

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Last updated on 16 March 2005