Quilting by the Numbers

"All Quilts are Math Quilts"

When you fit shapes of cloth together you are using geometry; to make the pattern blocks you must understand symmetry; you must calculate and measure the yardage of cloth; you will estimate how many pieces of each color you need and how much the material will cost.  Wow!  All of that is Math!
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What do you see in this math quilt?
Can you find a design that is symmetrical?
I see a pentagon.  Can you find it? 
Do you see the triangle?


This is a quilt by Anabeth Dollins. To see another one of her math quilts, to to her web page:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/a/x/axd2/qlt1.html

 


To see some pictures of Math Quilts made by students:

http://www.northside.isd.tenet.edu/zachww/quilts.html  

http://schools.ci.burbank.ca.us/~luther/math/p1quilts.html  

 


This Tumbling Blocks quilt pattern is an optical illusion.
The design changes as you look at it.


Now you see it, now you don't!
Visit this site for more
optical illusions:

http://members.aol.com/Ryanbut/optical.html

Optical illusions help us see the world in differnet ways.

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The Tumbling Blocks quilt is also an example of tiles or tessellations. 
Tessellations are objects arranged in a mosaic or checkered pattern.

To see some tessellations by elementary students;
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/alejandre/lagrange.html

bowtie.gif (831 bytes)           spool.gif (993 bytes)         peter.gif (977 bytes)
For an explanation of tessellations and mosaics and to see some favorite patchwork patterns tessellated, go to
http://www.quiltgallery.com/technique2.htm  

 

M.C. Escher was an artist who was born more than 100 years ago.  His tessellations are famous. 
                      http://www.etropolis.com/escher/                             

 

 

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