Quilting and Computational Thinking

The art of quilting has been around since the days of the early Egyptians. Evidence of quilt work has been found in early civilizations in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.  In early America, quilts were used when money was tight and commercial blankets were not available. Piecing quilts allowed fabrics to be repurposed. Over time, quilting developed into a beautiful art form.  In this activity, you’ll get to join the art of quilt making with a computer science twist! 

Did you know?

Did you know that piecing together a quilt block utilizes some of the same skills that we use to program a computer? The computational thinking process is used by computer scientists, and you’ll apply it to create your own quilt square design using squares and right triangles. Your fabric block can then be sewn into a project of your choice like a pillow, table runner, or wall hanging.

Computational thinking is…

• A thought process used to solve problems
• Usually associated with computers
• Able to be used in many areas
• Helpful in breaking down a problem into smaller pieces

So what do computational thinking and quilting have to do with one another?

Pattern Recognition

Both quilting and coding use pattern recognition to solve problems. When you make a quilt square, you often use repeating sequences of fabric and shapes.  To program a computer, you also look for things that repeat and write loops of code that can be used over and over to create a similar action.

Decomposition

To create a quilt, you need to break your design down into manageable pieces, such as the fabric colors and parts of your quilt design. This process is called decomposition. Similarly, one of the most important steps in coding is breaking the problem down into manageable pieces.

Abstraction

Abstraction means pulling out the important parts of a problem so that you can focus on them. In quilt design, abstraction can include deciding the pieces of fabric, shapes, or colors you will use. Once you abstract, or take out, the important pieces, you can set aside the extra materials that you will not use. Similarly, when you program a computer to do a task, you first have to decide what pieces of code are important to complete the task.  You can then focus on those most important pieces.

Algorithmic Thinking

What if a friend really likes your quilt square and wants to make one like it?  Most likely you would create a pattern of your design for your friend to follow. Another word for a pattern is an algorithm.  An algorithm is a process or set of rules to be followed to solve a problem. Algorithms are very important in creating computer programs.

Paper Quilting Code

Now, you’ll create your quilt. Remember, you have two choices for how you’d like to do this. The fabric version requires a lot of specialized materials you may not have at home, so feel free to do just the paper version.

Step 1

Cut your paper following the directions below.

Paper A

• Part 1: Cut eight squares, two inches each.
• Part 2: Then, cut each square in half diagonally to make 16 right angle triangles.

• Cut four squares, two inches each.

Paper B

• Cut eight squares, two inches each.
• Then, cut each square in half diagonally to make 16 right angle triangles.

• Cut four squares, two inches each.

Paper C

• Cut eight squares, two inches each.

Before you move on, be sure you have the following items.

• 16 right triangles of Paper A
• Four squares of Paper A
• 16 right triangles of Paper B
• Four squares of Paper B
• Eight squares of Paper C

Step 2

Put the Paper A and Paper B right angle triangles together to form two-inch squares. Tape along the diagonal.  You will have 16 squares when you are done.

Step 3

Use your pieces to create a square that is four blocks wide by four blocks tall. You will have some extra pieces that you can use to make another design!

Step 4

Continue to iterate upon your original design by redesigning it to find a design you like best. You can create many different designs depending on how you orient and arrange your pieces.

Step 5

Now that you have your favorite layout, you’ll prepare your mounting medium. This may be cardstock, poster board, or any heavy material you can glue your pieces to. Use a ruler to measure your mount, and, with a pencil, draw a few guidelines of where you’d like your blocks glued.

Step 6

Arrange the pieces and glue them into place with the glue stick. Make sure the pieces are straight, glued tightly, and have no bubbles. Wait for the glue to dry.

Step 7

Pour your decoupage onto a paper plate, and use a sponge paint brush to gently spread the decoupage thickly over your design. Spread it a little beyond the edges of the paper.

Did you know?

If the corners pull up, you can place a small amount of decoupage under the edges of the paper pieces, but be sure to smooth your design so there are no bubbles or lumps.

Great work! If you’d like, you can complete the fabric version in the next section, or you can move on to the Go Beyond section.

Fabric Quilting Code

Cut your fabric following the directions below.

Step 1

Fabric A

• Cut eight squares of Fabric A, three and half inches each.

Fabric B: 

• Cut eight squares of Fabric B, four and half inches each.
• Cut four squares of Fabric B, three and half inches each.

Fabric C: 

• Cut eight squares of Fabric C, four and half inches each.
• Cut four squares of Fabric C, three and half inches each.

Before you move on, be sure you have the following items.

• Eight 3 ½ inch squares of Fabric A
• Eight 4 ½ inch squares of Fabric B
• Four 3 ½ inch squares of Fabric B
• Eight 4 ½ inch squares of Fabric C
• Four 3 ½ inch squares of Fabric C

Step 2

Get the eight 4 ½ inch squares of Fabric B and the eight 4 ½ inch squares of Fabric C. Place one 4 ½ inch square of Fabric B and one 4 ½ inch square square of Fabric C together like a fabric sandwich. Make sure the right sides of each fabric square are together. The right side of the fabric is the colorful, printed side. The wrong side is the back of the fabric. Now you should have eight fabric sandwiches with the wrong sides facing out.

Step 3

Use your ruler and pen to draw a diagonal line from corner to corner of each fabric sandwich. Then, measure and mark two additional lines, each ¼ inch from the middle line. Now you should have 8 fabric sandwiches marked.

Follow the instructions for your chosen attachment method. Be sure to get an adult’s help!

• Sewing Machine: Sew a straight seam on each of the outer lines. Do this with all eight fabric sandwiches.
• Hand Sew: Sew a straight running stitch on each of the outer lines. Do this with all eight fabric sandwiches.
• Fabric Glue: Place pins along your middle line to keep your fabric sandwich together. Then, place small dots of fabric glue along your two outer lines. Gently press the  fabric sandwich together. Do this with all eight fabric sandwiches.

Step 5

With an adult’s help, use a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler to cut along the middle line. Do this for each of the eight fabric sandwiches. Now you should have 16 squares made up of one triangle or Fabric B and one triangle of Fabric C.

Did you know?

Though proper tools for cutting fabric are best, you can use scissors for this step, too.

Step 6

With a warm iron and adult assistance, press open the seams of each of the squares.

Step 7

Use your scissors to remove the tiny triangles at each corner. Do this for each square.

Step 8

Now it’s time to do a little re-sizing! Using your rotary cutter, mat, and ruler, cut each of the 16 half-square triangles down to a 4 ½ inch square. This step is really important, so take your time, and ask an adult for help.

Did you know?

If you do not have fabric cutting tools, you can complete this step by carefully measuring a 3 ½ inch square using a ruler and a fabric marker. You can then cut your lines using scissors.

Step 9

You now should have a total of 16 half-square triangles, each measuring 3 ½ inches. They should be the same size as the 16 3 ½ inch squares of Fabrics A and B that you had set aside earlier.

Use these pieces to arrange a block that is four blocks wide by four blocks tall. You will have extra pieces, which can be used to make another design.

Step 10

Continue to iterate upon your original design by redesigning it to find a design you like best. You can create many different designs depending on how you orient and arrange your pieces. It may even be helpful to take pictures of your designs so you can easily recreate the one you like best.

Step 11

When you have your favorite layout, you will attach all of the pieces together.

Sewing Machine or Hand Sewing

1. Place two of the squares that will be touching together, right sides facing in, and sew them together with a ¼ inch seam allowance.
2. Then, sew the third block of the row onto the two squares you just sewed together.
3. Press the seams open with an iron.
4. Repeat steps a through c with the other two rows.
5. Once all three rows are completed, you’ll sew the rows to one another.
6. Pin the top two rows with their right sides together and sew them together with a ¼ inch seam allowance.
7. Now sew the final row to the first two rows using the same process in step 6.

Fabric Glue

1. Place two of the squares that will be touching together, right sides facing in, and pin them together.
2. Using a ruler and a fabric marker, draw a line ¼ of an inch from the edge of the squares.
3. Place dots of fabric glue along the line.
4. Allow the glue to dry
5. Repeat steps a through d to attach the third square to the first two.
6. Press the seams open with an iron.
7. Repeat steps a through f with the other two rows
8. Once all three rows are completed, you’ll attach the rows to one another.
9. Pin the top two rows with their right sides together. Use a ruler and a fabric marker to draw a line ¼ of an inch from the edge of the rows.
10. Place dots of fabric glue along the line.
11. Allow the glue to dry.
12. Now repeat steps i through k to attach the third row to the first two.

Your quilt is complete! Now that your block is finished, you can sew it onto a pillow, wall hanging, table runner, or any other project that you’d like!

Redesign Time

No matter if you made a paper quilt or a fabric quilt, you probably tried out lots of different designs before deciding on your final design and putting it together.

Now you have a chance to redesign and make another quilt using the knowledge you’ve gained in this activity. Think about how much you’ve learned since you started! You now have a much better idea of what the product looks like when you’re done.

Having an idea of an end design will help you create your new algorithm, or pattern.  In coding, it is also important to understand your goal as you begin a program. Using computational thinking can help you break down the process so you can begin with the end in mind.

Did you know?

Quilting is a form of pixelated art. Similar to the square pixels of color that make up a computer screen, quilts are often made of squares of color that are combined to create a work of art. Graphic designers use thousands of colors of pixels in many types of computer programs to create graphic art.

Do you have any old clothing in your house that you could repurpose into a quilt? Make sure to ask an adult before you cut anything up!

Did you know?

Patchwork quilts were often made by people with limited resources, such as pioneers. They would use scraps of old clothing cut into squares to recycle material for a new use.