bearisgray

Maybe refer to Jinny Beyer's "Quiltmaking by Hand."

I think one can obtain some used copies fairly inexpensively.

If the objective is to recreate how "poor folks made patchwork quilts" -

The minimum requirements are (in my mind):

Hand sewing needles - get good ones -
Thread -
A few thin straight pins
Pin cushion/needle holder
A decent pair of scissors
Something to make templates/patterns out of - I'm not a fan of cardboard/cereal boxes - can't see through them - but that might be what people used "way back when"
A pencil to draw around the template - draw dark enough to see - lightly enough so it does not show through to the front!
A ruler to draw straight lines and for drafting blocks
Some fabric - how to scrounge/salvage - and what to use and what not to use - example: most shirt tails were still usable from men's cotton shirts - while the elbows were worn out and the upper backs would be sun-rotted.

I am a fan of graph paper and teaching people how to recognize the components/units in a quilt block. Doreen Speckmann's book "Pattern Play" is good.

You might consider making up sewing kits for sale - or demonstrate what you put in your kit.

Also, I enjoyed "The It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt Book" by Mary Ellen Hopkins.

Depending on how intensive you want your course to be - and the attention span of the students - that would also determine what you would cover.

The first class I took was to hand piece six different blocks. There was a hexagon grandmother's garden type, one using the drunkard's path unit, one with a baskety thing where we learned how to make a curved tube for appliqueing the handles, - don't remember for sure what the other ones were.

We learned how to join seams and how to deal with intersections - it was a class well worth the time and money to me.

In my experience, I have not seen all that many usable sewing machines available at yard sales or thrift shops. Or "quilting fabric" or even woven fabric garments that I would use. Once in a while there is "a bonanza" - about as often as one hits a jackpot while playing a slot machine.

Not everyone has easy access to "go shopping thriftily" . Or necessarily have the space or money to have "lots" of stuff. Or even the desire to have lots of stuff.

One can get machines "for cheap" - but would a newbie know what to look for? A piece of junk that doe not work properly is not going to make someone a fan of sewing!

I think it's a great idea to go low-tech.