Quilt Squares

Materials:

• Pre Cut solid color quilt squares (one per child)
• Puff paint (many colors)
• Fabric Glue
• Scraps of quilting fabric (can be found in the quilting section of the craft store)
• Pencils

Preparation:

Be sure to use a quilting ruler, quilting mat, and quilting cutter to cut exact squares.
Think about the size you want the quilt to be, and make sure you have enough students to make that many squares. Draw a line around the perimeter of each square with a pencil, about one inch from the edge of the fabric.

Directions:
1. Demonstrate how to make a quilt square. Tell campers to make sure they do not decorate the square with anything too close to the edge of the fabric. They should stay inside the pencil lines that were pre-drawn. Pass out materials.

2. Next campers draw a design on some scrap fabric with a pencil and cut it out. Then they glue the design on the quilt square with fabric glue. They may want to cut out many pieces of fabric to make a more interesting design. Common designs have been mosques, Qurans, pictures of children playing, etc. You can also get fabric with pictures already on it and just have kids cut the pictures out of the fabric.

3. Next, campers edge each piece of fabric that is glued on with puff paint with a color that is similar to the color of fabric used. Be sure that students do not leave any edges of glued on fabric with out puff paint to hide the fringes of the fabric. (This is important to prevent fraying). Have students practice using puff paint before putting it on the fabric because it tends to come out too fast or too slow and make a big mess the first time you try it. Messages such as "Ramadan 2011" or “Islam” can be written with puff paint. (Discourage cutting small things like letters from scrap fabric. Encourage campers to use the puff paint for thin lines such as those used to write words.) Make sure each camper signs their own square with puff paint.

4. Let squares dry over night. Collect them and use a simple fabric to make a border for each quilt square. Sew the squares with the borders together and put a batting and backing on the quilt. Topstitch the whole quilt with some invisible (clear) thread).