The Sandhills Quilters Guild membership received a delightful surprise when Mary Wright, art teacher from Sandhills Farm Life Elementary School, Christine Leo, fifth-grade teacher from Southern Pines Elementary School, and Elizabeth Linsey, second-grade teacher from Southern Pines Primary School, visited the guild's meeting to exhibit quilts made by their classes. The quilts shown were the direct result of grants awarded by the guild.

The children from Southern Pines Primary made quilts titled "Animals of Antarctica" and "Animals of the Rain Forest." Children from Southern Pines Elementary School's quilts reflected their interest in reading.

"These quilts could not have been created without much thought and cooperation from all involved," says a spokesman.

Wright, of the Sandhills Farm Life School, explained that this year was a special year for the school as they were celebrating its 150th year, and she wanted to give the fifth-graders a chance to create a quilt as a gift to the school. The quilts were used as part of a raffle to raise money for the school.

The Sandhills Quilters Guild offered two grants that helped them achieve their goal.Each fifth-grade class made a quilt using "batik" painting (the process of wax resist) and then teacher Heather Greisz, without whom this project would not have been a success, sewed them into four amazing quilts. The art teacher allowed each art class pick one of four themes: "Life on the Farm," "Ocean," "Farm Life 150th Celebration" and "North Carolina." The process involved each student using recycled fabric sheets that were cut into 10-inch squares. Then, the students drew their design on the sheet and traced over it with glue. The glue then dried, and they painted between the glued lines with acrylic paints. When the paint dried, they soaked the squares for about two days in water to wash away the glue. The squares were then dried in the sunshine.

Wright went on to say the art project was a "great success."

"The students loved creating them and knowing they were giving back to the school that had given so much to them since they were in kindergarten," she says, thanking the guild for its gift.