Summer Memories & Quilts

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

Summer is a time for lemonade and summer camp, ball parks and swimming - and perhaps a visit to Grandma's house, with scrapbooks, old photos, soft quilts and other treasures with stories. Like the quilts of Gee's Bend. 

Susan Goldman Rubin celebrates The Quilts of Gee's Bend in her new picture book filled with colorful images of the practical artistry of several generations of women in Gee's Bend, Alabama.  In 1928, "when Nettie Young was eleven years old, her mother gave her a pile of cloth strips and told her to make a quilt all by herself." The cloth came from old work shirts, dress tails and aprons. Nettie arranged it all into a design she called "Stacked Bricks."

“When I was growing up, you threw nothing away,” said Nettie Young. “You found every good spot for a quilt piece and that’s how you made your quilts.”

The women of Gee's Bend, descended from slaves on the Pettway Plantation, have been making quilts for generations. The quilts had a practical purpose, but they were also beautiful works of art.  "Ought not two quilts ever be the same," explained Mensie Lee Pettway.

"How did the women come up with original ideas? Annie Mae Young said, ‘You find the colors and the shapes and certain fabrics that work out right, kind of like working a puzzle.'"

The Gee's Bend quilts can be inspiration for young writers too, whether they are writing at camp, in class or surrounded by trunks in Grandma's attic.

·       Help children collect a few pieces of old clothing - especially shirts or skirts that can be cut into strips or squares.  Have them design a quilt, individually or as a group, using these pieces. Give them time to think about their design. Then ask them to write about their designs:

o   What do you like about the colors you put together?

o   Does your quilt tell a story?

o   Write a true or imaginary story about some of the fabric pieces: who wore that shirt? Where has that dress been? In the kitchen? At a party? If possible, talk to the person who wore a piece of clothing and then write down your "interview." 

o   If the quilt includes pieces of cloth from your own clothing, write about something you enjoyed doing while wearing that shirt or dress.

·       Alternatively, have children talk to an older friend or relative about some special item – a vase, a photo, a piece of jewelry, a quilt – and then ask the child to write down that story, like a journalist bringing another person alive with words.

If you are feeling very ambitious, you can help youngsters make real quilt squares and then a real quilt following the directions in Rubin's book – making their own little piece of history.  

Mensie Lee Pettway said, “A lot of people make quilts for your bed, for to keep you warm. But a quilt is more. It represents safekeeping, it represents beauty and you could say it represents family history.”

 https://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya

THAT OLD THING: FAMILY STORIES

by Mary Quattlebaum

Our word “January” comes from the two-faced Roman god Janus, who was positioned to look both forward and back in time.  The first month of the year is always a time of beginnings, but it’s also a chance to glance back and to make connections between past, present, and future.  This writing prompt explores shared family memory and always yields a heartfelt piece of writing (and a few surprises for the writer!) whether I’ve done it with 8 or 80 year olds.

1.  Ask students to look at home for “family treasures” that have been passed down through one or more generations.  Examples might be a holiday ornament, a quilt, a piece of cookware, or a memento. Avoid photos.

2.  Request them to write down a memory or two they have about this item.  Where is it usually kept?  How do they feel about it?

3.  Brainstorm with students in class questions to ask an older family member.  Who brought this item into the family?  How did this member get it?  What is its history?  What exactly is it made of?  What does it represent to the interviewee?  What are some of his/her childhood memories associated with it?  Anything else the family member might like to add?

4.  Have students conduct the interviews at home or by phone and then bring them to class, along with the item. If the item is large, encourage them to bring in part of it (for example, a drawer).  (If you’re doing this with children, ask them to bring non-breakable things or a photo of the item.)

5.  Ask them to explore this item through each of their five senses, if appropriate.  What does it look, sound, and smell like?  How does it feel?  Ask them how they feel about it and whether their feelings have changed since the writing of a few days ago.  Did they learn anything new or surprising during the interview?

6.  Have students include their writings and interviews (all dated) in a folder that might be passed down with the item to a future generation.

A personal note:  On my mother’s side of the family is a child’s rocking chair, made in 1884, that has always been passed down to the oldest girl.  When my daughter was born, my mom had the chair stripped of layers of old paint, strengthened, and re-finished to its original luster. She also researched the chair’s design and craftsman and included her reflections on its history. What a precious gift—the chair and my mother’s words--I now have to give to my daughter!  (My poem “Antique Rocker” from my book Family Reunion includes my thoughts on the chair.)

www.maryquattlebaum.com

 

HOPPING OFF HISTORY

by Mary Quattlebaum

As writers (and teachers of writing), we’re all familiar with that old adage “write what you know.”  Sometimes, though, that advice can limit  or just plain bore a writer.  How might we challenge students to try writing what they don’t know or, in other words, to write to discover more?

One approach might be to have them explore the intersection of family history with larger historical events.  How was my family involved in the Civil Rights era?  What did Grandpa do during the time of the Vietnam War?  Why and how did Lola emigrate to the United States?

This approach works especially well for ages 12 and up, and is one I’ve used with advanced and adult writing students.

1.  Share children’s and YA books that portray young people involved in historical events.  Some of my favorites encourage readers to take a closer look at an era or event not widely known or studied in school.  Many include author’s notes about the author’s tie to the story and how she came to research and write the novel.

* The Great Migration by Eloise Greenfield. A series of poems about African Americans, including the author’s parents, who left the South between 1915 and 1930 for the greater freedom they hoped they would find in the North.

* The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Shang.  Contemporary novel, set in America, about a smart, funny 12-year-old girl who learns about China’s Cultural Revolution from an elderly relative.

* The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez.  Historical fiction about two Cuban children who emigrate alone to the United States as Castro clamps down on their middle-class parents in the early 1960s.   Based on experiences of author’s parents and mother-in-law.

* A Troubled Peace by L. M. Elliott.  Historical fiction focused on the chaotic years in Europe just after World War II.  Inspired by the author’s father’s experiences as an American pilot during the war.

2.  Encourage students to choose a relative and think about what they would like to ask him or her.  Have them jot down questions about a given 5-year span in the relative’s life.  What was your favorite item of clothing?  Food?  What did you and your friends like to do?  What was your favorite book or TV show?  Why?  What did you like best about living during that time and in the place you did?  What did you like least?  What was the biggest lesson you learned?  What were three historical things that happened during this time and what do you remember about them?  Is there something you can show me (photo, memento) from that time period?

3.  Have students interview their relative and write down the answers.  Then have them shape their material into a coherent piece of writing entitled something like “What Grandpa liked about  this time period” or “Grandma comes to the United States.”

4.  Share pieces with the class and have students discuss what they may have learned and been surprised by.

www.maryquattlebaum.com