Elementary Studio Lesson
My House Is a Home
Grace Hulse
As we started back to
school in late August
2005 we were overwhelmed by the news
from Hurricane Katrina. Children
are naturally worried and concerned
when such catastrophic events
occur and as parents and teachers, we look for
ways to help
them deal with
their fears and
emotions.
special item that was lost in the
flood. These were not expensive
things but sentimental and irreplaceable items. I talked to students
about what they thought was truly
important to them. Each student
made a list of the most important
Designing Fabric Houses
things in their
This project was designed to lives. Family
help my fifth-grade students members and
pets were at the
think about what is really top of everyone’s
important in our lives. list. Photo
albums, family
heirlooms, trophies, and special
gifts were also listed.
This project was designed to help
my fifth-grade students think about
what is really important in their
lives. Is it material possessions?
Each fifth-grader designed a fabric
house quilt square to serve as a
symbol for their home. They prepared a background by dyeing a
square of white muslin in the color
of their choice. A light-sensitive dye
was painted onto the muslin and
household objects such as keys and
buttons were placed on top. The fabric was left in the sun to dry. When
the objects were removed, they left
a lighter area on the fabric. Students
then selected, cut, arranged, and
sewed on bits and pieces of fabric to
create houses, yards, and gardens.
If we lost all of these things, what
would we still have?
The thing that struck me as we
listened to the stories of Katrina
victims on National Public Radio
was that everyone mentioned one
Next I asked them to write about
what makes a house a home. If we
had to pick up and start all over
what would make a new dwelling home? Without exception they
wrote about the people they love,
the memories they share, and the
emotional comforts of home.
The top of the quilt was then
layered and pinned with a square
of batting and a background fabric.
Students sewed through all three
layers, quilting them together as
they added details. Every student
learned to sew and tie knots. The
compositions were embellished
