Sign up for freeSign up

Quilts made from old clothes: made of, made from and made by hand

Students learn made of and made from, plus made by hand, in this A2 ESL lesson plan about the quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

Grammar
Made of for a material you can see (It's made of cotton.), made from for one that changed (Paper is made from wood.), and made by + a person or by hand.
Topic
Quilts from Gee's Bend, Alabama, where many early quilts were made from old work clothes, with quilting terms such as patchwork, quilt block, scrap and thimble.
Activities
A post to read, a quilter's talk and a viewer's question to hear, self-checking drills, and a chat and open boxes for presenting a quilt block.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Old clothes, new quilts!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: quilts and sewingVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the quilters of Gee's Bend

    • Look at the photo: a quilt in Gee's BendPictureUnlock
    • Read the show's postReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a needle and a nap

    • Listen to Marco and MeganListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the viewer's questionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: It's made of cotton!

    • Study the scheme: made of, made from, made byGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option: of, from or byChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: is made or are made + of, from or byFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: is, are, was or wereFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: present your block!

    • Choose the right replies: present your quilt blockChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: present your quilt blockOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the right prepositionFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Juan's craft fair postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Sort the lines: the parts of Maya's presentationSort into columnsUnlock
    • Match the block names and the picturesMemory gameUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's presentationDrag and dropUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Sewing vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • patchwork
  • scrap
  • quilt block
  • thimble
  • needle
  • cotton
  • catalog

Grammar: made of, made from and made by

What is it made of? has three kinds of answer: the material you can see (made of), what it was before (made from) and who made it (made by). With quilts sewn from old work clothes, learners pick of or from by what they can still see, keep is or are before made, and say by hand.

It's made of cotton. It's made from old clothes.

Say what a thing is made of, what it is made from and who made it.

Of, from or by?

Made of names a material you can still see: This T-shirt is made of cotton. Made from fits when it changed or was another thing before: This quilt is made from old clothes. Made by + a person says who made it: This quilt was made by Megan.

of, from or by?

SayWhen?Example
made of + materialyou can still see the materialThis T-shirt is made of cotton.
made from + a thingthe material changed, or it was another thing beforePaper is made from wood. This quilt is made from old clothes.
made by + a personwho made itThis quilt was made by Megan.
made by handa person made it, not a machineMegan's quilts are made by hand.

by: who or how, never the material

Use by + a person (made by Megan) or say how: made by hand, made by machine. Never by + a material: made of cotton (not: made by cotton). Say by hand, not with hand or by hands.

Wood: made of or made from?

One material can take both: a table is made of wood, because you can see the wood, but paper is made from wood, because the wood changed. Most food examples take from, since the ingredients change: Cheese is made from milk. Bread is made from flour.

made of: you can see it

  • a table: made of wood 🪵
  • a T-shirt: made of cotton 👕
  • a window: made of glass 🪟
  • a ring: made of silver 💍

made from: it changed

  • paper: made from wood 📄
  • cheese: made from milk 🧀
  • bread: made from flour 🍞
  • a quilt: made from old clothes 🧵

Is, are, was or were + made

When the thing is the subject, made needs is, are, was or were: It's made of cotton, never It made of cotton. They were made by hand is about the past, and negatives add not: It isn't made of wool.

is, are, was, were + made

Who or whatNowIn the past
it (one thing)It's / It is made of cotton.It was made by Megan.
they (two or more)They're / They are made from old shirts.They were made by hand.
notIt isn't made of wool.They weren't made by machine.

Don't forget is or are!

It's made of cotton. They are made from old shirts. (Not: It made of cotton.) A What question ends with one little word: What's it made of? or What's it made from? (Not: What is it made from of?)

What's it made of? Questions and answers

Questions put is or are first: Is it made by hand? Yes, it is. Are they made of wool? No, they aren't. A What question ends with one little word: What's it made of? or What are they made from? For the maker, ask Who made it?

Questions and answers

QuestionAnswer
What's it made of?It's made of cotton.
What are they made from?They're made from old jeans.
Is it made by hand?Yes, it is. / No, it isn't.
Are they made of wool?Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
Who made it?Megan made it. / It was made by Megan.

In Gee's Bend

  • Megan's quilt is made from old work clothes.
  • It's made of denim and cotton.
  • It's made by hand. Megan stitched every piece.
  • The quilts on the 2006 stamps were made by women of Gee's Bend.
  • Pioneer paper patterns were often made from old letters and catalogs.
  • What's your T-shirt made of? – It's made of cotton.

Common mistakes

  • It made of cotton.

    It's made of cotton.

    don't forget is ('s)

  • It's made with hand.

    It's made by hand.

    by hand

  • It's made by cotton.

    It's made of cotton.

    of + a material, by + a person

  • What is it made from of?

    What is it made of? / What is it made from?

    one little word at the end

Try the made of and made from exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what something is made of when the material still shows: This T-shirt is made of cotton. The table is made of wood.
  • say what something is made from when it changed or was another thing before: Paper is made from wood. This quilt is made from old clothes.
  • say who made a thing and how: The quilts on the stamps were made by women of Gee's Bend. It's made by hand.
  • ask about materials and present a design: What's it made of? This is my quilt block. It's called Sunny Day.

Lesson 19 is the third lesson of Style through time, unit 5 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It builds on A2.1 lesson 5, which practiced was, were and was born, the pattern behind It was made by hand. Lesson 20 keeps made by hand for cowboy boots and adds still and not … anymore. A quilt sewn from old work clothes takes both forms: it's made of denim and cotton, and made from old shirts.

Students spin a wheel of questions about quilts, sewing and old clothes, then learn ten words, from stitch and design to thimble and catalog, with pictures and audio. They read the show's post from Gee's Bend, a small Alabama community whose quilts went to a Houston museum in 2002 and onto U.S. stamps in 2006, then hear Marco with Megan, a quilter, and a viewer ask what the quilts are made from, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking exercises, among them a table of is, are, was and were. In the speaking chapter, students present a quilt block to Maya in a chat, then open boxes about their clothes, their classroom and a block of their own.

The homework's nine tasks are all self-checking: a word match, an anagram and gaps for the vocabulary, gaps for of, from and by, word order, a craft-fair post with choices, the parts of a model presentation to sort, a memory game of block names and a presentation with gaps.

Grammar:
made of · made from · made by hand · made by + person · What's it made of?
Topic:
Gee's Bend · Alabama · quilts · patchwork · old clothes · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Start with the labels in students' clothes: ask What's your sweater made of? and let them check, so It's made of cotton comes from something real.
  • Sort things into two piles before the scheme: a wooden spoon, a T-shirt and a glass go under made of; a sheet of paper and a picture of cheese go under made from.
  • Bring a bag of cloth scraps and let pairs lay out a quilt block on the desk before the chat, then give it a fun name, like the blocks in the homework memory game.
  • Run the block presentations as a mini show: each student says hello, the block's name, what it's made of and from, and Thank you for listening!, and the class asks one question.

Liked it?

Teach the whole lesson in edio

30 exercises in 6 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.

  1. Start a free trial

    7 days, no credit card.

  2. Open the lesson

    Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.

  3. Teach it live or as homework

    Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.

Teach it free for 7 days

The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19 · you're hereQuilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

How do you use made by in English?
Use made by + a person to say who made something: This birthday card was made by my little brother. The quilts on the 2006 stamps were made by women of Gee's Bend. Made by hand and made by machine say how. Never put a material after by: It's made of cotton, not made by cotton.
When do you use made from?
Use made from when the material changed or was another thing before: Paper is made from wood. Cheese is made from milk. This quilt is made from old clothes. You can't see the wood in paper or the milk in cheese, and the old shirts are now a quilt. Food often works this way: Strawberry jam is made from strawberries and sugar.
What's the difference between made of and made from?
Made of names a material you can still see; made from names one that changed. The table is made of wood: you can see the wood. Paper is made from wood: the wood became something new. In the same way, a ring is made of silver, but glass is made from sand. A compare block in Quilts made from old clothes, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, shows wood on both sides.
How do you answer "What is it made of?"
Answer with It's made of + the material: It's made of cotton. It's made of wood. For two or more things, ask What are they made of? and answer They're made of wool. If the thing was something else before, use from: What's it made from? It's made from old jeans. Keep one little word at the end of the question: What's it made of?, not What is it made from of?
Is a quilt made of or made from old clothes?
It's made from old clothes, because they were another thing before, and made of the cloth you can still see. Many early Gee's Bend quilts were made from old work clothes. The cloth itself takes of: It's made of denim and cotton. The quilter in Quilts made from old clothes on edio.ai uses both sentences, one after the other.
Is it "made by hand" or "made with hand"?
It's made by hand: by and the singular hand, with nothing between them: Is your scarf made by hand? Every bag is made by hand. It means a person made it, not a machine; the opposite is made by machine. Made with hand and made by hands are both mistakes. The chat in the A2 lesson Quilts made from old clothes on edio.ai sets both as traps.
What are some basic quilting terms?
Basic quilting terms include quilt, quilt block, patchwork and scrap. A quilt is a warm bed cover of cloth pieces; a quilt block is one square part of it; patchwork is small pieces of cloth sewn together; a scrap is a small leftover piece. A summer quilt is thin, with no filling. Blocks have names, such as Nine Patch, Shoo Fly and Churn Dash.
What sewing words should English learners know?
Start with the tools and actions of sewing: a needle, a thin, sharp tool for sewing; a thimble, a small metal cap for your finger; and the verbs sew and stitch, joining cloth with a needle and thread. Cotton is soft cloth from a white plant, and to design is to plan how something will look.
How do I teach made of and made from to A2 students?
Use real objects students can touch: a T-shirt, a wooden ruler, a sheet of paper. Ask What's it made of? for things whose material shows, then introduce made from with paper and food, where the material changed. Drill is and are before made, since learners often drop them. The edio.ai lesson Quilts made from old clothes moves from a post and a quilter's talk to gap-fills of of, from and by.
What's a good game for practicing made of and made from?
A guess-the-object game works well: one player thinks of a thing in the room, and the others ask Is it made of wood? or Is it made by hand? until they guess it. Answers stay short: Yes, it is. No, it isn't. This lesson's open boxes add speaking prompts such as Say a food and what it's made from, and its homework has a memory game of quilt block names.
What's good homework for practicing made of and made from?
Good homework is gap-fills where the preposition is the answer, so students choose between of, from and by every time: These sneakers are made ___ old plastic bottles! My winter hat is made ___ wool. Word order and a short presentation to complete help too. In Quilts made from old clothes on edio.ai, all nine homework tasks check themselves, one of them a presentation of a quilt block with gaps.
Are there interactive exercises for made of and made from?
Yes: gap-fills with instant feedback show at once whether of, from or by fits. This page plays four parts of the A2 lesson Quilts made from old clothes on edio.ai, with no account needed: the show's post from Gee's Bend, Alabama, Marco's talk with a quilter, a gap-fill of is made or are made + of, from or by, and a chat in which students present a quilt block. The rest is locked.
Unlock full lesson

Teach this lesson with your students

Book a demoStart free trial

No credit card required