Saco Junior High Hosted Local Quilting Club

As part of a novel study on Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, the Saco seventh and eighth graders got the opportunity to learn how to sew on Thursday, September 9.

The novel, set in Vida, Montana, during World War I, depicts the struggles of sixteen-year-old Hattie as she tries to prove up on her claim. One such struggle is learning how to quilt. The local quilting club-who also read the novel-enhanced the students' experience by providing them with an authentic, hands-on connection to the novel. After setting up pinning, sewing, and ironing stations throughout the English room, the quilters then each paired up with a student and guided them in sewing their very own pillows. Once the pillows were complete, students and quilters discussed the novel, and the quilters shared family homesteading stories with the students.

When asked about the experience, seventh grader Emerson Downing stated, "It was really fun sewing with my Grandma (quilter Sue Marshall), and it helped me see how hard it was for Hattie because she didn't even have a sewing machine." Quilter Claire Bergtoll, who helped plan the event, said, "Everyone had such a great time, and it was so much fun to pass on the sewing bug to a new generation. I heard several comments from the kids about wanting to do more sewing, wanting to make their own quilts, and wanting to create side hustles with sewing-even the boys! That was probably the most rewarding. I loved that a few of our "Sew and Sews" are grandparents to some of the kids that were in class. I know how special that is because my first sewing experience was with my grandma, and it's something I'll always cherish."

The students will complete the unit with a field trip to the Phillips County Museum where they will research the local homesteading information.