The black-and-white spools of thread in Chapter 1, the famous white-washed fence in Chapter 2 … patch by patch, almost every year since 1999, the story of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” was stitched together by 6th-grade students in Judi Healey’s Palm Crest Elementary School language arts class.
For years the patches hung like banners in Room 5, and PCR alums would frequently come back and look for their class quilt and their own patch. Now, with Healey’s retirement last summer, the quilts are up for sale. At $75 per quilt, proceeds will go to the PCR PTA.
Each of the quilts has a heartfelt history. Each school year, early in the reading of this classic, students drew from a straw hat the chapter name and one or two suggestions for a visual (for example: a cat on a string, a tombstone, or a slate that says, “I LOVE YOU”).
Next came one class period devoted to sewing. It was a day of straight pins and needles, scissors and fabric scraps.
“Some kids had never threaded a needle, but there were always others who had some experience and were willing to help out a friend,” Healey said.
The patches were finished at home and turned in on an immovable deadline so a kind parent volunteer could do the hard part — stitching the patches together one chapter at a time.
“My hope is that the monies can be used for some kind of writing workshops,” Healey said. “Perhaps, for example, professional writers or writing project presenters can do lessons on persuasive writing for all PCR 6th-graders.”
For more information, contact Caroline Marcotte Anderson at outreach@palmcrestpta.org.
