There is some serious quilting going on at John Paul II Collegiate.
The Home Economics 30 class is a favourite among students as they get to sew their very own 16-block quilt, says home economics teacher Cheryl Thompson.
The quilting class has been part of the program for a dozen years. This year there are 20 Grade 11 and 12 students enrolled in the class, says Thompson.
Some have taken several years of home economics, while others have never sewn before.
"Regardless of previous skills, all students find success with this project if they are willing to put in the time," she says. "Most of the students are girls, but each year there are a number of boys who also choose to sew a quilt."
Each quilt sewn features the 鈥渓og cabin鈥� pattern. With this pattern, each block has a centre square and three rows of fabric surrounding the centre. To complete the quilt, there are two border rows and a binding to finish the edges.
Thompson says the quilters are told the square represents log cabins on the prairie with centre squares symbolizing the hearth, light values on one side of the block symbolizing the sunny side of the house and dark values on the opposite side representing the shady side of the house.
The project, which takes about 12 weeks, begins with the sewing of the 16 blocks. Once these are done, they are sewn together into a pattern of the student鈥檚 choice.
"Even though the blocks are sewn in the same way, each quilt is unique due to the fabric selection and the pattern chosen," says Thompson. "When all quilts are displayed, they are so different that it surprises most people that they are actually all sewn with the same blocks."
Thompson says there are many people who help make this project possible, much to JPII's appreciation.
"First on the list is the staff at Fabricland. They help the students select and purchase their fabric. They have been wonderful to our students over the years and provide lots of advice in selecting the fabric," says Thompson. "The other group that provides great help is the Rivers鈥� Edge Quilters Guild, whose members cut the fabric into the required strips and who always attend the final quilt show where the finished quilts are displayed.
It was the late Louise Nykiforuk, a member of the Rivers鈥� Edge Quilters, who brought the quilt project to the Home Economics 30 class about 12 years ago, says Thompson. Since that time, almost 200 quilts have been sewn by the PAA Home Econmics 30 class at JPII, first under the guidance of Kim Wouters and now Thompson.
