Quilting is a folk craft that crosses all times and cultures. There are books that introduce students to how quilts were used by runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad trails. Other books discuss the traditional American patchwork quilt and its sentimental value to families. Quilts offer a great opportunity to include multicultural topics to discuss mathematics and the contribution different cultures have made to this art form.

If it is true that mathematics is the study of patterns, then quilting offers a rich tapestry for this study. Students of all ages learn to appreciate the mathematical patterns found in traditional quilting designs. These books enhance the mathematics with heartwarming stories of how quilts are truly the fabric of our lives.

Math-Literature Connections

• Cassie's Word Quilt by Faith Ringgold
• Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul
• Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
• The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr
• The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
• The Log Cabin Quilt by Ellen Howard
• The Moon Quilt by Sunny Warner
• Oma's Quilt by Paulette Bourgeois
• The Name Quilt by Phyllis Root
• The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to freedom by Bettye Stroud
• The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy
• The Promise Quilt by Candice F. Ransom
• The Quilting Bee by Gail Gibbons
• Quilt Counting by Lisa Cline-Ransome
• Quilting Now & Then by Karen B. Willing
• The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
• The Quiltmaker's Journey by Jeff Brumbeau
• Quilt of Dreams by Mindy Dwyer
• The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston
• Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst
• The Secret to Freedom by Marcia K. Vaughan
• Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt by Barbara Smucker
• Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
• The Tortilla Quilt by Jane Tenorio-Coscarelli
• The Tamale Quilt: Story Recipe Quilt Pattern by Jane Tenorio-Coscarelli
• Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson