Everyone Is Welcome Here Quilt: A Classroom Collaboration with FPP and Raw-Edge Applique

A Classroom Quilt Inspired by a Local Event

Earlier this year (spring 2025), a middle school teacher here in Idaho was told to take down a poster from her classroom that read, “Everyone is Welcome Here.” Her name is Sarah Inama, and she was teaching in the West Ada School District, just minutes from where I live and work. According to school administration, her poster violated district policies that prohibit “political speech” in classrooms. But the message, which was rooted in kindness, inclusion, and belonging, was never political. It was human.

Read the article from the Idaho Statesman

Read the article from Today News

Sarah initially complied and removed the poster. But in the days that followed, she reflected on the impact of being told that a message welcoming all students was somehow inappropriate, and chose to speak up. As word spread, so did community support. Sidewalks outside district headquarters were quickly covered in chalk art with the same message: “Everyone is Welcome Here.” The next morning, those chalk drawings were hosed away by a custodian.

Read the article about it at the Idaho Statesman

Soon after, West Ada District Administrator Marcus Myers appeared on The Ranch Podcast, stating that “the issue wasn’t the phrase, but the imagery of different skin tones” used in the poster.

Listen to the podcast here

The damage had already been done. Instead of fostering unity and respect, the school district’s response sent a chilling message to both teachers and students.

In the months that followed, Idaho legislators passed House Bill 41, which now limits the display of any flag or banner in public schools to those explicitly listed in the law. Under HB 41, anything perceived as representing a political viewpoint, “including but not limited to race, sexual orientation, gender, or a political ideology”, is banned from display in schools.

To this day, the district has not made an official statement about the situation.

How the Quilt Came to Life

Choosing Materials and Quilt Prep

As the school year unfolded, I decided to make a quilt with my students, something we could create together as a way to say, clearly and proudly, that everyone truly is welcome in this classroom. This quilt came together during the very last music class I had with my 5th grade students.

Here’s what we used:

To piece together the message “Everyone is Welcome Here,” I used my Say Something Bold Alphabet Pattern, a foundation paper piecing (FPP) alphabet that lets you spell out anything, one letter at a time. I used colorful fabric scraps sorted into a rainbow to give the message a vibrant, joyful look.

The hands were traced from my students and cut from fat quarters selected from Sewfinity’s fat quarter bundles. Each fat quarter could easily fit two hands, but I used only one per piece to increase variety and save the rest for a future project.

I used the raw-edge applique technique for the hands and hearts, which is one of the most versatile and beginner-friendly quilting techniques you can add to your skill set. It’s perfect for personalizing quilts, adding unique shapes, and intricate designs without the need for complicated piecing. For stability, we backed each piece with Pellon 725 paper-backed Heavy Duty Wonder Under interfacing. 6″ of the interfacing was plenty for each hand.

learn all about raw-edge applique here

Preparing the Quilt Top Before Class

Before bringing this project to my students, I prepped the quilt top by paper piecing the letters and assembling the entire center panel. I wanted our class time to focus on tracing hands, cutting fabric, and arranging everything together.

To construct the letter panel, I cut the following from the background fabric:

  • (5) 2″ WOF strips for all letter templates
  • (2) 3½” x 4″ rectangles for spaces between words
  • (1) 37″ x 2″ strip to join the two rows
  • (2) 3″ x 4″ rectangles for both sides of the top row to match the width of the bottom row
  • (2) 2″ x 9″ rectangles to frame the sides

The completed letter unit measured 40″ x 9″. I used the remaining background yardage to frame the top and bottom of the panel by cutting it in half lengthwise and centering the message between the two pieces. With a typical selvage width of 42″, I trimmed the excess to match the lettering panel width.

Cutting and Fusing the Fabric

From 4 ½ yards of interfacing, I cut:

  • (24) 6″ x 15″ rectangles (for hand tracings)
  • (24) 3″ squares (for the hearts)

Each fat quarter was trimmed into a 9″ x 22″ fat eighth, and I ironed the fusible, non-paper side to the back of the fabric.

For the hearts, I cut (24) 4″ squares from red fabric and fused a 3″ interfacing square to the back of each.

With the panel done and all pieces prepped, I brought everything to school for the collaborative part of the project.

In the Classroom: Collaboration in Action

On the final day with my 5th graders, we had just one class period to complete the hands-on work. I started with a mini lesson about fabric structure and why interfacing helps stabilize fabric, especially for shapes like hands and hearts.

Each student:

  • Chose a fabric in a skin-tone color
  • Traced their hand onto the interfacing (paper) side
  • Cut out a hand and heart shape
  • Placed their finished pieces around the quilt panel

Note: Let students use the good fabric scissors! I was hesitant at the start, but the school scissors made things tricky. I ended up helping cut many of the hands to keep us on track. Next time, I’m bringing my good scissors to school!

At the end of class, everyone placed their pieces around the panel, and I snapped a photo of the layout before they headed out to lunch. And with the next class waiting to come in at the door, I quickly packed everything up to finish at home.

Sewing the Quilt Top at Home

I didn’t unpack this project until the middle of summer vacation, when I laid everything back out using the photo we took in class and secured each piece with basting pins.

I used raw-edge appliqué to stitch each shape in place, sewing about 1/8″ inside the edge of every hand and heart. I set up my BERNINA QE+ for free-motion quilting, which meant switching my foot to the Free-Motion Stitch Regulator (BSR). This specialty foot helps keep your stitches even no matter how fast or slow you move the fabric. Many machines have similar features and will allow you to do this technique with a bit of setup.

Was it perfect? No. But that was never the goal. My students’ tracings weren’t perfect either, and that’s what made this project so special. We weren’t aiming for precision, as it was more about collaboration, inclusivity, and having a little bit of fun.

Finishing the Quilt + Scrappy Backing

With all the pieces secured, I moved on to basting, quilting, and binding.

For the backing, I used a scrappy panel I had pieced years ago from leftover squares (see blog post here) originally meant for a different project that never got finished. Coincidentally, the colors and feel of it ended up matching this quilt top perfectly. That backing came from a season when I had more scraps than I knew what to do with (honestly, not much has changed!) I had stitched together so many squares just to use them up and turned them into a backing-sized flimsy.

Want to learn how to make these scrappy squares? Tutorial comes with a free pattern for making the quilt on the right. Check it out here.

One of my Instagram followers asked how I centered the quilt top over the patchwork design, and the truth is, I didn’t. The backing was oversized, and there was enough overage all around that I didn’t have to do any special aligning. Sometimes it’s just nice when things work out like that. Here is the photo of how my quilt top was centered on top of the backing:

Classroom Display

I used push-pins and binder clips to post the quilt in my classroom. If you want to display your quilt on a wall, I would recommend using command hooks that mount to the wall and fit inside the binder clips. Command hooks are a great way to display things on the wall without drilling holes or damaging the walls and tape upon removal.

Want to Make Your Own?

If this project speaks to you, I hope you feel inspired to make your own version—whether in a classroom, a community group, or with loved ones at home.

If you found this tutorial helpful, please consider purchasing the Say Something Bold Alphabet Pattern. A portion of every sale helps support my classroom and gives me the support and ability to be a better teacher for all of my students.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for being part of this story!

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