Kind and generous donations from the Urbana High School Support Services Department and the principal, John Woodward, made this year's art quilt project feasible. The class is making a group quilt, Grace's Garden, to recognize the school social worker, Grace Mitchell. Grace loves gardens and she loves green so that was the primary factor in design decisions. Students will use the fusing technique and will each make a block to create the 'garden' for the Support Services Reception Area at the high school.

      On a shoestring budget, students created art work using upholstery fabric, glue, markers, beads and the computer. Students were encouraged to use any design elements to create their piece. Before the actual art process started, students listened & read several book about quilting and art. Some books the students particularly enjoyed were "Clara and the Freedom Quilt" by Deborah Hopkinson and "The Patchwork Quilt" by Valerie Flournoy. Students also had the opportunity to study some art quilts on the internet, review Mrs. Fell's art quilt porfolio and discuss some basic elements of design. Mrs. Fell brought several art quilts into the class for demonstration and discussion. The pictures above show some students with their finished art pieces.

     The student in the left picture really liked the Caryl Bryer Fallert Corona Quilt poster hanging in our classroom--Caryl was kind enough to send Marselle his own postcard of that quilt with a kind message.
In the picture, Marselle is holding his art piece as well as the postcard from Caryl Bryer Fallert.
The small kindnesses of the world continue to amaze me with their impact!

Speech Class Art Quilt Project
Fall 2001

     Students were responsible for designing, discharging, dyeing & painting an 18" x 18" cotton square. Students carved designs in gum erasers and then discharged the designs with Sunlight Dishwashing Gel. After discharging the dye, each piece was hand dyed using immersion and direct dye techniques. Students then painted each piece and hung their piece on found branches from the park.

      This project was initiated by a donation from Michael James' 1999 Quilt/Surface Design Symposium class in Columbus, Ohio. Twenty artists collaborated on the quilt top as a design study. The class generously gave the quilt to Deborah Fell to use in her Speech/Social Skills class at Urbana High School in Urbana, Illinois. The high school students decided to donate the quilt as a wall hanging to Carle Clinic in Urbana, Illinois. The students wanted to have the quilt hanging in a place where sick children would see it. The students put the three layers together, tied, quilted and finished the piece to get it ready for installation. The final exam was the actual installation. One student said "I wanted to give something back." And we did.

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"Welcome to Urbana High School" Art Quilt

     This quilt was made by the Urbana High School Speech/Social Skills class in the Fall of 1997. The tiger is the Urbana High School mascot. The class decided to make this quilt and donate it to the school where it hangs in a place of honor. The quilt project was funded through a donation from a community member.  This art quilt hangs in the main office at Urbana High School.

For more specific information, see the periodical Reaching Today's Youth Vol. 5 Issue 2 Winter 2001 "The Tiger Quilt: Fostering Collaboration Among Youth with Special Needs" By: Deborah Fell, Janetta Fleming, Shireen Pavri, Johnell Bentz

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1997 Speech Class Art Quilt Project

     Students were taught to use fusible web to create individual fabric collages. Our block was entered in the National Quilt Museum's School Block Contest and received a ribbon. The students were very proud of their art. The day the art blocks were done, the students walked around the high school showing anyone their work who would take the time to view it.
A very proud day!

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"Celebrating Learning, Celebrating Ourselves" Art Quilt

     Quilt made by the Fall 1993 Speech/Social Skills class. Each student did one block. Designs were the student's choice. Mediums varied and included painting, fabric markers, photo transfers, fabric crayons and appliqué. This art quilt hangs in room 2200 of Urbana High School.

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