Learn

Making a real quilt takes a lot of planning and a long time. Women and men around the world have been making quilts for thousands of years. They are colorful and often meaningful. You too can enjoy working with all the pretty shapes and colors by making a paper quilt and you can do it in a fraction of the time it takes to sew a quilt. Remember to ask an adult for help.

• A large sheet of heavy white or colored paper
• Several colors of construction paper
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil
• Markers or crayons
• Rubber stamps (optional)

1. Using either the pencil or markers, draw 4″ squares on the heavy paper.
2. Draw a design in each “patch”. Simple patterns like squares, circles and triangles will be easier to work with.
3. Using different colored construction papers, cut out pieces to fill in the patterns. For instance, if you made a diamond shape pattern in one of the squares, you can cut out a diamond or two triangles to fill the pattern. You may want to cut out a second, smaller diamond to place on top of the first one. Let your own creativity guide you.
4. Glue the cut out shapes onto the patterns.
5. You can also stamp designs in different colors onto the “quilt” or color your designs with crayons or markers. It’s all up to you and where your imagination will take you.

Another alternative is a window quilt. Cut your patterns out of tissue paper and glue them to a long sheet of wax paper. Hold your finished quilt up to the window and watch the sun shine through the pretty colors.