The Moon in the Classroom
Patricia A. Hobbs
Macomb, Illinois, USA
Artist Statement
Memories of the “Lunar Landing” include some of my first teaching experiences. I was in my second year as an art teacher for a rural school district, sharing rooms with other teachers. I remember walking through the back of the fifth grade science class. This memory is the basis for my quilt. The students were so excited to watch the landing on TV as some of the families did not own a TV or even have electricity. The students were paying close attention to the television, watching this historic event unfold. I imagine the children felt like they were right on the moon walking in the steps of the astronauts. A cold chill probably ran through them when they saw the earth so far away and darkness surrounding the moon.
I often put my life in perspective by remembering my ancestors- in particular, my grandmother. She was born in a sod house in Oklahoma that was built on property won in the Oklahoma Land Rush. She lived from the horse and buggy era on through to the age of space travel. She always looked towards the future.
I enjoyed participating in this project and loved the challenge. The Lunar Landing was an amazing event.
Techniques
My quilt, The Moon in the Classroom, used the following techniques: raw edge applique, drawing with fabric pen and oil pastels, machine piecing and quilting. These techniques usually place my work in the art quilt category in quilt shows. I do feel that there is no difference between painting and drawing on canvas or cotton. Most of my quilts are my original design with no traditional quilting patterns included. While designing quilts, I do think of them as a piece of art and apply the same design elements and principles as found in fine visual art.
Materials
The fabrics used on this quilt were cotton and wool batting. Wool batting helps to keep the cotton from wrinkling when folded. The threads used for quilting and applique included cotton, polyester, and nylon. The Van Gogh oil pastels used on this quilt are considered to be artist quality. After drying for a week and then ironed, they become permanent on cotton. For drawing on natural fiber cotton, I used Fabrico Tsukneko dual markers and Uniball Vision fine tip waterproof/fade proof markers. The fusible webbing I prefer to use is Pellon 805 Wonder-Under. There are two hair ribbons in the little girl student’s hair that are made of 100% polyester satin ribbon.