I learned to sew in 4-H. Now, my own boys are in 4-H, and I teach quilting to 4-H kids in our county in Missouri. 4-H holds a special place in my heart, so when JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores asked if I would make a quilt with their new 4-H fabrics, I shouted YES!!
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JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores provided the fabric for this post, but all opinions are my own.
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My mom made her first quilt when she was in 4-H (in the 1970s), and she still has it!
The quilt she made is queen sized, and hand quilted! (Insert the hands on cheeks emoji here!)
That's a bit more ambitious than I'd tackle as an adult, and I can't imagine that being your very first quilt as a teenager!
But when I got the 4-H fabrics from JoAnn, I knew I wanted to recreate the same pattern!
I found a free pattern for the 4-H quilt block HERE. However, since I was making several blocks at once, I decided to strip piece the center of the Hs. This made very quick work instead of sewing the pieces individually!
I paired the 4-H fabrics with Kona White. I LOVE that JoAnn sells Kona, and the Kona White is a bright white that is my favorite of all the solid whites among all the brands.
I also love that JoAnn sells lots of other products that I use too! Olfa rotary cutters, Fiskars cutting mats, Oliso irons... If I'm out running errands, you'll likely find me at JoAnn!
Once I had sewn all the Hs, it was quick to sew them into the quilt top!
I only made my quilt 36" x 48" - a small throw quilt. That's a size I make often because I can make it quickly, and that size gets used the most at our house! It's perfect for throwing on your lap while watching tv or reading a book!
I pin basted the quilt sandwich using Warm & White batting. I've started using this batting when I use white fabric as it really helps the whites stay bright white.
Then I put the walking foot on my machine and started quilting! I always question whether I should stop after doing parallel straight lines or if I should quilt perpendicular lines to make a crosshatch design. The parallel lines always look so modern! But then I start the quilting lines going the other direction and fall in love with it every time!
I just used a seam in the quilt as my guide to start quilting, then I used the edge of my walking foot to eyeball the distance away from that line to quilt the next line. The lines are about 1/2" apart, and it created the best texture!
The final step is binding! Unlike my mom who sewed hers on by hand, I machine sewed mine on. (Tutorial HERE.) This plaid fabric made for a fantastic binding! I cut the fabric strips on the bias so that the plaid would be diagonal on the binding. It's a small detail, but was worth it so more of the design of the fabric shows!
I took the quilt out for some photos at a fellow 4-H family's house! You can get a peek of the solid green fleece that I used for the back of the quilt. It makes it so snuggly!
4-H is an organization for kids that teaches leadership, public speaking, community service, and specific project skills. Some kids choose to raise animals like cows, goats, and chickens like the family where I took these quilt photos, but other kids choose projects like woodworking, crochet, rocketry, entomology, and cake decorating. There are dozens and dozens of projects that the kids can learn about - all led by volunteers from the community.
This is my fourth year teaching quilting for the 4-H kids in my county, and I have about two dozen kids sewing a quilt for the fair this year! It's so absolutely rewarding to help the kids learn all about the quilt making process and make their very own quilts.
My oldest son is eight, and is the treasurer for our local 4-H club. He writes and signs the checks when our club has expenses, deposits any money into the local bank, and shares the changes and monthly balance of the club's bank account at every meeting.
Our 4-H club meets monthly, and all the meetings are led by kids. They learn parliamentary procedure and have opportunities to lead discussions, do demonstrations, and volunteer in our community.
I truly can not say enough great things about 4-H. I encourage you to get the kids you know involved in a local 4-H club. (There's a spot on the 4-H website to find a club near you!)
Or consider volunteering with your local 4-H program! You could give a demonstration or lead a community service project at a club meeting, you could volunteer to teach a program for your county (like quilting!), or you could be a judge at the county fair!
Or you can donate to 4-H online or at the register the next time you visit your local JoAnn store!
The first record of the 4-H name and clover was in 1912. There are now more than 6.5 million kids aged 5-19 enrolled in a 4-H program in the United States. My kids are third generation 4-Hers, and they are learning skills that will last them their whole lives.
And I hope that the kids I teach how to quilt remember and use those skills for their whole lifetime too. (And maybe get bitten by the quilting bug like me!)
Has 4-H had an impact on your life? Have you ever volunteered for your local 4-H program?
Tell me about it in the comments!
Yes, I learned to cook and sew in 4H. At the time, 4H started at age 12 and the "homemakers" did two or three units of eight meetings per year. We learned cooking in the fall and sewing in the spring. My 4H cookbooks still sit on my cookbook shelf and get used regularly. My silver spoons ( symbol of completing a unit) are seriously Tarnished now but my skills love n n the muffins a made yesterday and the binding I sewed last night.
ReplyDeleteSkills love on.
DeleteLOVE the quilt with the animals! Live in the city and never had 4H. Glad you and many others are passing on your skills to a younger generation.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter is in 4H. I am going to show her this pattern. I think it's a great idea! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter made her first quilt in 4H. My husband was in 4-H and raised calves, showed them and the family ate them. He also started bee keeping and when he tired of it, his dad took over. He's raising them again. Thanks for a great blog post.
ReplyDeleteI am in my 33 year as a 4-H leader. My husband and our kids all were in 4-H and now so are 4 grands. I have a Family Living club that has the foods, crafts, science and odd projects and a Sewing Club. Hubby and oldest are leaders of the counties Dairy Club. Loved reading about your 4-H Life!
ReplyDelete