Making Math Fun!

Your class can make a quilt. You will need some heavy cloth like muslin from a fabric store, paint, paintbrushes, big sewing needles and heavy thread. First you need to decide how much cloth you need to buy.

  1. Think about how many students are in your class.
  2. Decide how big you want each square.
  • Make sure you know the width of the muslin in the store. This is important information to have before you make your calculations.
  • Figure out how much cloth you will need to buy.
  • Look at the price and calculate how much money it will cost.

    • Here is my information:

    Students in class -
    Size of each square -
    Width of cloth in store -
    Price of cloth per unit (yard/meter)

    Do the following calculations -
    Amount to buy -
    Total cost of cloth -
    Next you must decide how best to cut your cloth so that everyone gets a square of the desired size. Try not to waste cloth!

    Here is my plan for cutting the cloth:

    I think this is a good plan because:

    Your class must plan what pictures will be featured in your quilt. Decide who will draw each picture. Make a sketch of your finished square. What part of the square do you want the eye to be drawn? That is the feature you should sew. Use a big needle and heavy thread.

    Now you are ready to paint the background of the square. After it dries, put all the squares on the floor. Together decide on a pleasing arrangement for the squares. Think about what each square depicts and the colors that are used in each square. This will help you decide how to arrange your cooperative work.

    Finally sew your square together. Take a picture of your class with the quilt. Send it to us at:

    Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC
    P.O. Box 1850
    Middleburg, VA 20118 U.S.A.

    Or e-mail it to:

    We will put it in our Gallery and send your class a surprise!

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    Making Math Fun