Teaching artist Marquetta Johnson demonstrates how to create a unique story quilt using pencils, markers, paper, and a one-sentence story of your choosing.

Vocabulary You Will Learn:

• Composition - The arrangement of elements to create the art. For example, shapes and colors are elements in visual art that create the composition.
• First Draft - The first iteration of a piece of work, leaving room for editing and changes. Sometimes also called a “rough draft.”
• Geometry - The study of math that deals with shapes, such as squares and triangles.
• Story Quilt - A specific type of quilt that uses the art form to tell a story. The story can be about something real or fictional.

Materials You Will Need:

• Pencils
• Markers
• Paper to draw on
• Optional: rulers or stencils
• Optional: construction paper or fabric scraps
• Optional: safety scissors

How to Create Your Own Story Quilt

A story quilt is a special type of quilt that conveys a specific type of story or idea. Take the time to look at examples of story quilts, such as the ones that Marquetta has made:

1. To create your own story quilt, you need to write a one sentence story. Marquetta uses the sentence: My grandmother’s yard is full of flowers. Think about an image or event that you can summarize in one sentence and write it down.
2. Decide how to represent your story in a paper story quilt. Take some time to think about the composition of your image – what kinds of shapes and colors will you use? How will you arrange them to represent your story? Marquetta mentions many shapes that she uses in her quilt.
3. After you’ve thought about your image, use your pencil and paper to sketch some of your ideas, then create a first draft by lightly drawing an outline of your favorite idea on a fresh piece of paper. You can use a ruler or stencils to help you draw if you would like.
4. Last step, add color! Using colored pencils, markers, or another type of coloring tool, color in the outline of your image. You can also use construction paper or fabric to create the shapes, just make sure you have permission to cut up these materials.

In this video, Marquetta teaches how to use a one-sentence story to create a unique story quilt. If you want to go even further, think about these questions:

• Can you create a composition using only one type of shape? How can different sizes or colors of the same shape affect the composition?
• Pick an object and try drawing it multiple times with different shapes – for example, what happens if you draw a tree using only triangles? Or only hexagons? Or triangles and hexagons?
• Do you have any quilts in your family that tell a story or have any special significance? If not, do you know of any quilts in stories or societies that tell stories?

Accessibility

Don't forget that you can turn on "Closed Captioning" to view the YouTube video with English captions.

More about the Teaching Artist

Marquetta Johnson (she/her) was a textile artist and quilter who lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She was also a teaching artist who practiced inclusion and arts integration. Her mission was to empower young artists to think creatively. She is greatly missed.

Kennedy Center Education provides resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms and learning spaces of all types.

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Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Genesis Inspiration Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.