Batik Thank You Quilt

I was lucky enough to be able to teach music at Amelia's preschool this year. Every time I go to her school I feel so thankful that the director chose our little town to set up shop. I go to many preschools each week, and lets just say I don't always feel very happy while I'm in some of them. Teaching preschool and running a daycare is really hard work, but this director is patient and respectful no matter what. She teaches the kids to solve problems peacefully, be responsible, and be aware of the world around them. It takes a really special person to do preschool well. We have that special person and her team is equally wonderful.

I also have a great love for children's art. Their natural creativity is so sweet and pure. One day I was at the school watching the kids draw and I decided my thank you gift for the end of the year needed to be a Batik quilt. My friend, Juanita and I set to work conspiring with the other teachers to capture the art while the director was out of town. I cut out 5 inch squares of plain paper and the teachers had each student draw a picture of themselves. To allow for a seam allowance I cut 6 inch squares of white Kona cotton and then Jaunita and I traced each picture onto the cotton using washable blue school glue. Here is a great tutorial on this method.Once the glue dried I used watered down acrylic paint to paint each square the color I wanted it to be. (Once I washed and dried the squares the color faded significantly) and then once the paint dried I scrubbed out the glue, washed and dried the squares, and stitched them together into a quilt. I loved the way the kids wrote their names as much as I loved the way they drew themselves. This is actually my very first finished quilt. I've made tops before, but I've never actually added the back and quilted a finished product before. It turned out really cute and I'm pretty sure we pulled off a good surprise for the director.