While stores and shopping malls were packed last weekend with patrons looking for Mother’s Day gifts, students from a second-grade class at Countryside Elementary School had a handmade, surprise gift ready to go.
Marianne Rubba’s second-grade class took part in a pillow-making activity last week. The students drew a picture for the pillow, stuffed it and sewed it in class.
The activity was led by Jean Threston, the grandmother of student Christopher Threston. Rubba said Christopher has been doing a great job throughout the year and came to find out about his grandmother’s hobby through him. She hatched the idea for the activity from Jean.
Everything about the activity was a secret. Rubba said the students worked very hard to keep their moms from finding out about the project. Jean also kept the secret, communicating directly with Rubba about the project.
While many elementary schools have classes making cards or a simple craft for Mother’s Day, the pillows were a special item made by the students.
“Most of these kids have never sewn or stuffed before,” Rubba said.
To help the students, Jean first gave a presentation about quilting. She explained the process of creating quilts and later showed off some of her favorite creations, including a quilt made when Christopher was born.
The presentation touched on more than just quilts. Jean explained the history of quilting and its importance during colonial times. The students had recently performed a play about Ben Franklin and were able to answer questions about him and colonial life.
Jean talked about how quilting played an integral role during the United States’ early history.
“All of the clothes these people wore were handmade,” Jean said to the class.
The purpose of the activity was to have the students make the pillows the old-fashioned way. There were no sewing machines in the classroom. Each student took a turn stuffing the pillows and then worked on sewing them.
Each student had hand-drawn pictures ready to go for the day’s activity. The drawings had been done during a prior class.
“We made the pictures on our own, and then Jean steamed them on,” Rubba said.
While the students took turns making their pillows, others sat at their desk drawing pictures and writing poetry to include in their gift.
The activity extended beyond the students’ real mothers. In her 38th year of teaching at Countryside Elementary School, Rubba is retiring in June. As a present, her students did a drawing in honor of her retirement. Rubba later got a chance to make her own pillow, with the help of her students.
Rubba beamed with pride and emotion as she held up the drawing to the class. She said she is going to miss the students, but in the pillow, she will have something by which to remember them.
