The last stitches were the hardest.
For Kahli Keen, carefully hand sewing each corner of her quilt meant slowing down, focusing and pushing through frustration – a process that transformed fabric into something far more meaningful than a classroom assignment.
Keen is one of several Grade 11 and 12 students at John Paul II Collegiate who spent months creating handmade quilts as part of a Clothing and Construction course designed to teach sewing skills, creativity and perseverance.
“At first, I thought the project was going to be really hard,” Keen said. “As the year went on, though, I realized it wasn’t as difficult as I expected. I also learned a lot of useful skills that I know I’ll need for the rest of my life.”
Her finished quilt, stitched together in shades of green and grey, now carries a deeper significance. Keen chose the colours alongside a friend while selecting fabrics, turning the project into a memory captured in thread.
“This quilt will always remind me of her, which makes it special to me,” she said.
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
For home economics teacher Dee-Jaye Stebanuk, the quilting assignment is about more than learning how to operate a sewing machine.
“It’s one of those projects where obviously it’s very hands-on,” Stebanuk said. “And I think kids learn better hands on.”
The project, continued from previous instructors, also connects students with traditions rooted in community craftsmanship and cultural practices.
“It also gives us great community connections to Indigenous culture and working with our hands and creating something,” Stebanuk said.
The class unfolds gradually over an 18-week semester. Students spend the first few weeks learning how to use sewing machines, practicing techniques and completing smaller projects before beginning the quilts themselves.
From there, progress happens piece by piece.
“We are very fortunate we have a community member who helps the kids cut all their material because there just would not be time to kind of do all that as well as the sewing in class,” Stebanuk said.
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
Last semester, students completed 17 quilts, some of which are now displayed inside the school library. Others were taken home immediately, destined for bedrooms, couches or family gifts.
For many students, the journey to the finished product includes moments of doubt.
“Some of them get partway through and then they’re very overwhelmed and they get worried that they’re not going to get it done,” Stebanuk said.
That struggle is part of the lesson. In a world where results often arrive instantly, quilting requires patience, focus and resilience.
“I think it’s not very common anymore that kids get to make something from start to finish with their hands,” she said.
Students follow a traditional Log Cabin quilt design, building squares that form patterns depending on how pieces are positioned. Within those guidelines, colours, fabrics and layouts are entirely their own.
“They build sort of what’s a standard square,” Stebanuk said. “And then they use that square and it has to do with how you position those different 16 pieces is going to determine the design that you get.”
That creative freedom allows each quilt to reflect its maker – from favourite colours to personal meaning.
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
For Lindsey Opwam, the project sparked excitement from the beginning.
He chose green and yellow fabrics, arranging them into a diamond pattern inspired by nature.
“Green reminds me of grass and trees and makes me feel at home.”
Like many students, finishing the quilt required persistence and careful attention to detail.
“The most challenging part was pinning the binding together to be sewn,” Opwam said. “I didn’t give up and I ended up finishing the quilt.”
For Keen, the most demanding moments came during the final stages of construction.
“The most challenging part was hand stitching each corner of the quilt when a new pattern was sewn on,” she said. “It took a lot of time and patience, but I just kept going and hoped the next part would be easier.”
The effort brought pride to both when the project was complete.
“It felt really good to see my finished quilt on display,” Keen said. “I was proud of my work, and it was also interesting to see all the different designs my classmates created.”
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate)
For Stebanuk, one moment stands out each semester – when uncertainty gives way to confidence.
“It’s when it all clicks for them,” she said. “It’s like this big ‘aha’ moment… and then they can just roll with it on their own.”
The finished quilts vary in shape, colour and size. Perfection is not the goal.
“Every stitch that they put in is just representative of the hard work and the time and effort that they put into it and that they should be extremely proud of what they created,” Stebanuk said.
For the students who made them, the quilts hold more than warmth.
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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com
