EDDINGTON – A quilting project at the Eddington School is teaching pupils how to apply math in a real life situation, how to be an involved citizen and how to work well with others. The quilting class is part of a service learning program at the school, which all children must participate in before they graduate from the school. This is the fifth year of the quilting aspect of the program.

Currently involved under teacher Donna Oliver’s guidance are 22 third- and fourth-graders, the majority of them boys this year.

“They just love this,” Oliver said of the boys taking part in the project. “They like making the pictures [on the quilt squares], they like the sewing and find it calming. They like doing the tacking [of the quilts]. They learn to tie a good knot.”

Oliver learned to quilt two years ago.

The Eddington School children work together at quilting in eight groups composed of two to four pupils. The quilting experience is divided into three phases, each under adult supervision.

The first step is drawing and coloring pictures which are transferred, using an iron, directly to pre-cut squares of white fabric. Step two is putting the squares together and adding sashing using sewing machines donated to the program. The third step is tacking the quilts, which the children do by hand with needle and thread.

Eight-year-old Serina Beaucher was working on a quilt with butterfly motifs destined for Spruce Run in Bangor. She said she liked sewing the quilts.

“I get to sew at home with my mom,” she said, adding she was certain she would continue making quilts even after her school quilting days are over. She plans to mend the Strawberry Shortcake quilt she was wrapped in when she was brought home from the hospital after she was born.

The quilt squares are not embellished with buttons or beads, which might constitute a choking hazard to small children who may receive one of the quilts.

Volunteers, who also assist the pupils with sewing and other aspects of the making the quilts, bat and back the quilts. Each quilt measures 55 inches by 65 inches.

Program volunteers are Charlene Rockwell, Mabel Lufkin, Janice Wood, Jennifer Hughes, Lorraine Powell, Susan Turner, Carol Edgecomb and Anita Rogers. Some of the volunteers are mothers and some are grandmothers of the pupils. Some are experienced quilters; others are newer to the craft and learn along with the children.

“Every Friday at 12:30 p.m., the third- and fourth-graders do quilting,” Oliver said. “They get right into it. They love doing it. One little girl said she wanted to take one of the quilts home with her.”

The children decide which community agency will receive the quilts they make. This time around, they chose the Spruce Run Shelter in Bangor, which provides a haven for families dealing with domestic abuse; Project Linus, which provides “security” blankets to children up to age 18 who are dealing with life crises such as serious illness; and the Eddington Fire and Rescue squad.

The program goals, Oliver said, are in line with state Learning Results standards.

“They use a lot of math skills,” Oliver said. “They do a lot of measuring. They have to decide how to lay out the squares, which brings geometry into the process.” They also learn about compassion, volunteering, art, design and sewing.

“We never turn down donations of sewing machines and cotton materials – it takes five yards to make one quilt. We also accept donations of smaller pieces of fabric,” Oliver said. “We have tubs of fabric everywhere.” The pupils select fabrics that appeal to their sense of color and design.

“It makes us feel happy inside to help the community,” said Jakob Coleman, 9, who was busy coloring drawings of boats to be used in the quilts.

An Exhibition Day to allow teachers, pupils and the public to view the quilts will begin at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 7, at the school.

A quilt group for adults meets 3:30-5 p.m. Thursdays at the Eddington School. It is open to all, Oliver said. For more information about the children’s quilting program or the quilting group for adults, call the school at 843-6010.