Welcome

Thank you for visiting our site! This Blog is set up for the students and families of Southeast Elementary School in Howell, Michigan. It's purpose is to share the artistic achievements of the fifth grade classes here at Southeast Elementary.

In this blog, you will see that students have researched the traditional art of quilting, the history of West African textiles and the artists of Gee's Bend, Alabama, as well as, created their own quilt block inspired by the artistry of the quilters from Gee's Bend. The posts within this blog will tell you about what the students have learned and the creative processes used in making their quilt blocks. I encourage you to spend some time viewing the contents of this blog and ask you to comment on their postings.

Thank you, Mrs. Guetschow

The Quilters of Gee's Bend

Traditional arts, like quilting, are created with purpose and function and are closely connected to the fundamental necessities of life. Art such as this is usually learned and produced within the home or community in small groups and by people that often do not consider themselves artists. For four generations, the women of the rural community of Gee's Bend have been creating quilts of exceptional artistry pieced together from salvaged work clothes, dresses, burlap and cotton sacks.

Traditionally quilting is an art form that is passed on from one generation to the next. It is people using simple materials, often from within their surroundings, finding a way to serve purpose and function while communicating meaning. Quilts made by the women in Gee's Bend are pieced together using a method called string quilting. This method of strip, or string quilting dominates many African American quilt patterns. It is a method similar to strip weaving which was most likely invented by the Mande people, in West Africa, done on portable looms and woven by men. This technique probably spread with traders throughout West Africa and to America and can be seen in the quilts of Gee's Bend.

The Lesson

To begin, I would like to thank the organizations that made teaching this lesson possible. This lesson was generously funded by the Howell Education Foundation and the Southeast Elementary School PTO. My thanks to both organizations for their support. I would also like to thank Mr. Gorton (our technology teacher) for helping the fifth graders research information to deepen their understanding of this lesson.

The Enduring Idea or Big Idea in this lesson is community. Students learn that community is a group of people sharing an environment often organized around common values. In communities, things like resources affect the participants, as seen in the art of Gee's Bend. Yet, this interdisciplinary lesson teaches lots more. Students use math to create a pattern, technology to research information, they learn how to piece material together, sew a seam and quilt. It also teaches students about the traditional art of quilting, the history of West African textiles and the art of Gee's Bend.

Mixing art education with content areas brings meaning and value to learning. This interdisciplinary approach of engaging students in creative expression along with content areas helps students construct knowledge and develop real-life skills that will last a lifetime. I hope you will be able to see examples of this as you read our blog.

National Content Standards met: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Michigan Visual Arts Elementary Content Standards and Benchmarks met:
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6
3.1, 3.2, 3.3, .35
4.1, 4.2, 4.3
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4

I hope you enjoy the work our Southeast fifth graders did. They would love to read your comments, so be sure to post a word or two.

Thank you, Mrs. Guetschow

Mrs. Burgess' class

Gee’s Bend is on a curve southwest of Selma, Alabama on the Alabama River. It used to be full of cotton plantations where slaves worked hard till the crack of dawn and till their bones ached at dusk. Joseph Gee and relative Mark Pettway bought Gee in 1850. The ladies tore worn out cloths or material they couldn't use and sewed them into a quilt. Later on they made money off of their quilts and some of the quilts got into museums.
Jamie F.

I liked learning to sew because I did not know anything about it. I liked learning about the people who were slaves and how the famous art collector came by and found their quilts and helped them.
Allison S.

I liked learning about sewing because I thought it was cool that you could make a design with fabric. I also think it is very fun.
Garrett D.

Quilting is sewing either done by hand or a sewing machine. It can be done with a straight or running stitch. I liked learning how to quilt because I might need to sew or quilt someday in my later life. I might make it a hobby in my free time. I also like it because it is so much fun.
Jill D.

Quilting is a process that uses a needle to sew pieces of fabric together. I liked learning how to sew because when you get the hang of it, you get faster at it and learn different ways to sew. It was so much fun to learn a new experience. You will love it.
Olivia B.

What I liked about learning to quilt and sew is the way that you put little pieces of your past in the quilt so you have a reminder of your past life. I think quilting is away to relive yourself of your problems by putting your problems and putting your past in your quilt.
Riley D.

I loved the feeling of the new fabric, the smooth feeling of your hand flying through the fabric. I love how I know that finally I can sew things for my family!!!! Thank you for teaching us how to sew!!!!! Quilting is a method that can be done by hand, a machine or a longarm method. You use a needle and thread and weave in and out of material of your choice. Many people use old clothes or towels. Each quilt is unique in their own way!!!
Jodi K.

The people of Gee's Bend were very poor so they made quilts out of potato sacks, old blankets and clothes. They sewed in stripes and in lines. Gees Bend is in North Quad, Alabama, in the Wilcox County. These talented people made those wonderful, creative quilts out of things they didn’t need anymore.
Cheyanne H.

What I liked learning about quilting is how to make cool designs out of cloth. I also liked quilting because now I have a new skill. Quilting is sewing many pieces of cloth together forming a blanket called a quilt.
Dylan H.

Mrs. Cain's Class

Two of the many things I liked about quilting were, one: it was fun and easy, two: I’m not sure why, but it calmed me down. Quilting was probably one of my favorite things I ever did in art. Quilting is a sewing method either done by hand, a sewing machine or long-arm sewing system. You use a needle and thread to connect 2 pieces together. I think quilting was very fun!
Jillian B.

One thing that comes in the big package of quilting is the freedom that comes along with it. For example you might start out in the beginning with a certain design and by the end it might transform into something different. I also agree with Jillian, quilting is fun and relaxing! The definition of quilting is sewing layers of cloth together but, in my opinion when you sew all the layers together you also sew in love and happiness.
-Brooke B.

The thing I liked most about learning how to sew is doing the running stitch. It was very easy to do and it looked cool on the quilt. I liked quilting because the finished product looked like it was done by a pro. Quilting is sewing 2 or 3 layers of cloth together.
-Thomas L.

Gee’s Bend is a small rural community nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Their quilting styles are usually a unique pattern of random cloth and left over scraps. The town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, quilting style based on traditional American quilts, but sometimes it ended up as modern art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills down through at least six generations to the present.
~Genevieve W.

I liked quilting because it was a fun, soothing, experience full project where we got to learn how life was like years ago in Gee’s Bend. I believe that quilting is when you have two or more layers of fabric that you sew together.
Christian F.

Mrs. Kincaid's Class

I learned that quilting can be fun even for boys. It was hard at some points, but I got through it. You can express your feelings and just have fun. So I’m happy that I learned how to quilt.
Austin W.

I like knowing how to sew because its fun to sew. Quilting is cool because I have a bunch of quilts at my house that my mom made when I was a little baby.
Addison M.

The Mande people are a large ethnic group of West Africa. They are found in Gambia, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Senegal, Mali and a couple other places. They are known for being the first on the continent to produce woven textiles by a process known as stripweaving, and as the founders of the Ghana Empire and Mali Empire.
Kathryn H.

Quilting is sewing that involves your hands or a machine. This process involves a needle and thread in which the needle goes through the material which makes a quilt. I like when you had to put the thread into the needle the first time.
Nick H.

I love to sew and quilt in art class because through quilting you can express your feelings in your stylistic choices. I think that it is so cool that we can learn to quilt in art because it is something we can actually use in real life.
Sarah C.

What I liked about learning to quilt was the fact that the poor people of Gee's Bend made these quilts to keep warm or to just have fun, and well, these quilts ended up changing these peoples life’s… well that hadn’t been expected. Not expected at all. Quilting is using your head to think of a wonderful blanket. Then sewing cloth together to make the blanket.
Samantha S.

My favorite part about sewing and quilting is having to make up your own designs, and using your own ideas and colors.
Josh S.

Quilting is a thing that the slaves used to do to sew blankets together for warmth. I liked learning how to use a needle.
Anthony P.