February 11, 1999

Dear Family Members of Mrs. Santos’s Students--

We are beginning an extended project to explore the connections among storytelling, writing, and quilting.  We are planning to make a class quilt that will tell the story of who we are and what we care about.  We hope to learn more about ourselves, our families, and our classmates as we share stories from our lives, and you can help us since you are our most important storytellers.

Could you please help us in the following ways:
 

1. We would love to see some sample handmade quilts.  If you have a quilt or even photographs of a quilt, please bring or send those in.  If you know the story of who made the quilt and why, please share that with us, too.
2. Quilts are often made of fabrics that represent a special memory for us.  Please help your child find a small piece of fabric from an outgrown article of clothing, an old baby blanket, or some other item that has been important to him or her.  If you can’t find any old fabric, consider a trip to the fabric store to purchase a small piece (1/4 of a yard will be plenty) of fabric in a favorite color or a print that shows something that your daughter or son cares about (animals, sports, books, and so on).  It would be best if the fabric is 100% cotton, and if it is new, please wash and dry it before sending it to school.  (That’s so our quilt won’t shrink when it is washed.)
3. The most important thing we need from you is the gift of your stories.  Your stories will help your child know you, himself or herself, and your family even better than he or she already does.  Don’t worry that you might not have any stories to tell.  Every week we’ll send home questions and ideas as part of the HomeTalk sheet.  All you have to do is write down your memories (or help your child to write them).  When the project is done, we’ll have a beautiful quilt and a collection of stories to share with you.

Happily ever after—
 
 

Leslie Santos                                      Linda Evans
                                                           (Project volunteer)

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