Our Room 3 Garden Quilt Hangs in the School Library 

A true reflection of what happens when parents step forward, a teacher stands back and the children rise to the occasion....

This quilt was a true community effort. Eleven different adults helped our 20 talented sewers.

Several parents pooled their funds to purchase this piece of art. We hope children will visit this quilt long after their graduation from Vieja Valley. They can see the quilt from through the large library windows if the library is closed.

Thousands of stitches ago, Lisa Rader stopped by on a hot Friday afternoon in September and volunteered to take on the auction project. We brainstormed for a while, then she said she would talk to Jody Kaufman. A couple of weeks later, I received a huge bag and detailed lesson plans. In a quick Monday morning before school visit, Jody explained the project. Each child had a ziplock bag of their materials: a calico square, 3 felt rectangles and an exquisite antique button.

Week one was filled with talk about our flower designs. We read books, brainstormed shapes, drew and then finally cut out paper flower patterns. The placement of each splendid button was an important part of the design process. We carefully pinned the paper patterns to the felt. Traced each shape in chalk and then, carefully cut out each shape. Each piece was then pinned to the calico square.

Weeks two, three and four were exciting. Each square was put in a sewing hoop. We had to find just the right color of thread for each color of felt. Once the proper color was found from the dozen of spools in my sewing box, the children cut the correct length of thread. Threading each needle and tying a proper knot was a lesson in itself. Each stitch was carefully executed. Learning when to stop so that there was enough thread to tie a knot was a thought they were encouraged to keep in mind. A few stitches were removed and tangled threads were untangled. We are extremely grateful to the parents who spent many patient hours with us. We applauded when the last stitch was sewn.

On week 4, Mrs. Kaufman brought in phase one of the quilting process and gave us a mini quilting lesson. I am sure that Mrs. Kaufman slept very little between quilting, work, quilting, family and quilting. Hand quilting is a lost art and we felt so lucky to have our work handled by a professional. Thank you, Jody Kaufman!

The following week, we were rewarded with Mrs. Kaufman's final stitches sewn.... I was so taken with the image of all of the squares put together as one. As our class of 20 gazed at our masterpiece, the plans for the morning escaped me. Time stood still. Parents stopped in to admire and praise our work. I later hung the work in the office for all to see. Why not be proud of such a work of art?

We were kind to one another. We tried our best. The process was amazing, and hey, the product is AWESOME.

I am thrilled that the Room 3 Garden Quilt has been purchased by the parents for all to enjoy.