Author Visit with Cozbi A. Cabrera Community Quilt Project

First Posted October 14th, 2021

Join award-winning author, illustrator, & artist Cozbi A. Cabrera for this unique program that blends story, reflection, & making.

Youth & Teen Librarian Eti shares what to expect at our virtual visit with Cozbi A. Cabrera in this video:

Check out our recording (edited) of our visited with Cozbi A. Cabrera!

We are so excited to invite our community to participate in an incredibly special experience. In collaboration with Evanston Public Library, we are honored to host award-winning author/illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera, creator of books such as My Hair Is a Garden, Me & Mama and Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks (written by Suzanne Slade). She will join us virtually on Sunday, October 24 at 3:00pm – 4:00pm CT. Enjoy a chance to hear Cozbi talk about her art, read from her stories, lead a writing activity, and share her love for quilting and crafts. We recommend inviting friends, grandparents, grandchildren, & neighbors to this accessible, intergenerational program. Cozbi will lead participants through a special craft project that is perfect for the whole family! Register here!

Please visit Booked, Evanston’s very own independent bookstore, to order books by Cozbi A. Cabrera! You can order Cozbi’s books here.

Stitching Time with Cozbi Project

We will work together to create a community quilt that we’ll display in the library. During our virtual visit, Cozbi will guide us how to reconstruct a meaningful personal memory onto the quilt square.

We are grateful to Sally and Linda at Evanston Public Library who taught us how to make the Program Kits and supported us through this process, and Cozbi who kindly donated the fabric and will teach us all how to make our quilt squares.

We will provide program kits that have mostly everything you need to participate.

Each Program Kit includes: 2 quilt squares, fabric scraps, needle, thread, craft glue, a response form, and instructions. PLEASE NOTE: Kit contains a sharp needle and thread. Please supervise children. You will also need a pair of scissors that can cut fabric; these have not been provided.

Register for our author visit with Cozbi A. Cabrera and then we’ll contact you to come pick up your program kit at the library.

You can also check out our display Cozbi’s books and readalikes. You can also put books on hold here.

Project Directions

Think about a memory that’s important to you and using these materials, reconstruct it on the quilt square.

You can plan your design using the template we’ve provided.

During our visit, Cozbi offered these prompts to get us thinking about our memories:

Your earliest childhood memory
the memory that tickles your funny bone
the memory that stings or aches
the dream memory
that awkward moment you tried to fit in
the memory that’s travelled a generation or two

You can also create a paper quilt square using your own drawing supplies.

Use the fabric scraps we’ve provided to depict your memory. You can sew them on using the needle and thread or use the fabric glue to attach them. You can also use your own fabric scraps you may have at home.

Once you’re finished creating your quilt square, return it, plus your enclosed response form, to the library at the Youth and Teen Services desk to add to our community quilt by November 1 (or as soon as possible afterwards). You can also email a picture of your square to our librarians to be added to our digital quilt at eberland@lincolnwoodlibrary.org.

A huge thank you to Brian, Sally, and Linda at Evanston Public Library for all of their support and guidance to join them in this special visit and project. Special thanks to St. Mary’s Quilters for their assistance. Thank you to Ann and Lisa at Lincolnwood Library, and our community partner, Carey Petersen, who will be helping us make our quilt. And of course, to Cozbi A. Cabrera, for bringing us all together to share in this wonderful experience!

Please contact Eti at eberland@lincolnwoodlibrary.org with any questions.

We can’t wait to see you at our author visit with Cozbi A. Cabrera!!!