Summer Adventures with Kate & JR (6 page)

Kate joined her grandparents for breakfast the next morning. She could not stop talking about the quilt.

“I can see that you are eager to get going. Tell you what—I will wash the dishes, and you and Grandma can get started right away,” Grandpa offered.

“We need to count the number of squares we have so far. We need three hundred and twenty-four,” Kate told Grandpa Ron.

“That's a lot! You had better get going.”

Kate counted each stack of squares. Grandma Katie wrote down thirty-four yellow, forty green, forty-four blue, fifty purple, forty-two pink, and fifty-three orange squares.

Grandma Katie added each number. The total came to two hundred and sixty-three squares. “We are sixty-one squares short. Let's see how many we will need of each color to make the stacks equal. You have six stacks of colors. If we divide three hundred and twenty-four by six, the result is fifty-four. Can you subtract the total of each color from fifty-four, Kate?”

“I can try. Will you check behind me?”

Kate began subtracting. She came up with twenty yellow squares, fourteen green squares, ten blue squares, four purple squares, twelve pink squares, and only one orange square. “Is that correct, Grandma Katie?”

“That is correct. You did a good job. We can finish the cutting before lunch, and you can start working on your design.”

Grandma Katie and Kate selected the pieces of material they needed. Grandma handed Kate a three-inch-square piece of cardboard. “Do you remember how to trace the square onto the material?”

“I sure do.” Kate took a piece of material and started tracing squares for Grandma Katie to cut.

“Don't forget to look at how many we need of each color when you are tracing,” Grandma reminded Kate. “We will only cut the number we need.”

“This is fun.” Kate said as she traced each piece of material.

After lunch, Grandma Katie showed Kate how to mark each square on the graph with the colors. Following the design, Kate started laying out the first row. She alternated the blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, and orange squares until there were eighteen squares across. She would need eighteen rows of eighteen squares to complete the design.

“It looks great!” Kate exclaimed. “What's next?”

“We need to set up the sewing machine and fill the bobbins with thread. Then you can practice sewing seams and using the sewing guide to keep the line straight. Tomorrow you will start sewing the squares together by rows.”

“I can't wait!” Kate exclaimed.

Kate practiced until she knew how to sew the squares together and push the reverse button to make a backstitch. Grandma inspected the squares.

“Kate,” Grandma Katie said, “you need to go a little bit slower—you forgot to make the backstitch so the seam does not come apart.” Grandma showed Kate some of the squares.

“I forgot that step. I had better practice a little bit more,” Kate said.

“Just a little bit more. You have had a long day. We will start fresh in the morning.”

The next morning, as soon as they finished breakfast, Kate and Grandma Katie headed to the sewing room to start putting the quilt together. Kate would sew the squares together in rows and Grandma Katie would press the seams open. Kate sewed a few squares together and Grandma checked her work. “You are doing a good job, Katie. Now, take your time.”

After all the squares were sewn together in rows and the seams pressed open, it was time to sew the rows together to form the quilt. Grandma Katie showed Kate how to pin the first two rows together so that the seams lined up. She then sewed the first two rows together, while Kate pinned the next two rows. They continued until all the rows but the last two were stitched together. Kate was having a hard time lining up the squares.

“There are two squares missing, Grandma. Where could they be? I don't see them.” Kate was puzzled.

They searched the floor around the sewing machine, but there were no squares. They looked on the table where Kate had laid out the rows, but there were no squares there, either. Grandma Katie looked puzzled, too. But suddenly she started to laugh and pointed at Kate's back. “Look what I found on the back of your shirt, Kate. The missing squares. They must have clung to your shirt from static electricity.”

Kate had to laugh, too. She took the squares and sewed them to the row. Grandma Katie ironed the seams open. Together they pinned the last two rows together and stitched them to the others. The quilt top was now complete.

Grandma Katie held it up for Kate to inspect. “Tomorrow we will sew the batting in place and attach the lining to the back.”

“What is batting?” Kate asked.

“Batting is a material like a blanket. It is sewn in between the top and bottom of the quilt to provide warmth,” Grandma Katie explained. “Let's go fix dinner— we have done a lot today.”

After dinner, Kate gave out a yawn.

“Looks like someone had better get ready for bed and sweet dreams,” said Grandma Katie.

“I really like to sew,” Kate told her grandmother after she climbed into bed. “I can't wait until tomorrow when we put the quilt together. Will we be able to finish?”

“I believe we will. You did a great job sewing the squares together,” Grandma said. She leaned down and gave Kate a kiss goodnight.

The next day, they cut the batting to match the quilt top and pinned the pieces together. Kate used a zigzag stitch to secure the batting to the top and removed the pins as she sewed. Grandma Katie cut the lining from a solid piece of blue-green material that was two inches larger than the quilt top on all sides. She laid the top and batting on top of the lining and basted it in place.

“Now we make diagonal stitches across each square to secure the back to the top. Do you want to do this, Kate?”

“I think you had better do that, Grandma Katie. I will watch,” Kate said.

Soon all the stitches were complete. Grandma held up the quilt.

“You did a great job. But what do we do with the rest of the lining?” Kate asked.

“We will fold the remaining lining to form a hem, like the hem of your dress, and secure it with a zigzag stitch.”

Grandma helped Kate turn the hem and pin it into place. She then hemmed the quilt on the sewing machine. As she completed the last side, Kate joined her at the sewing machine. Grandma helped Kate make the final stitches.

Kate held up the quilt to admire it. “Thank you, Grandma Katie. I will enjoy playing with my quilt and dolls. I had a great time learning to cut squares and sew. I can't wait to show Grandpa Ron.” Kate hurried from the room to get her doll.

“Grandpa Ron, Grandpa Ron! Come see the quilt,” Kate exclaimed as she ran with the quilt and doll in hand to find her grandfather. He was reading the paper in his favorite chair.

“That's the prettiest quilt I have ever seen,” he said. “You did a good job. Did you enjoy learning to quilt?”

“Oh! Yes! I had the best time. I know my mom will be pleased, and my dolls will always be warm,” Kate said. “I like sewing with Grandma Katie.”

Grandma Katie came into the room. “I had a great time too!”

The Perfect Day

On a bright, sunny, late-summer afternoon, Kate and JR, along with their Grandma Sue, set off on an adventure. They were going for a walk in the woods behind their grandparents' home.

“What will we find?” Kate asked.

“What will we see?” JR echoed.

“You never know what you will find in the woods. There are a lot of different birds and animals that make their homes among the trees,” Grandma Sue responded.

Kate took her camera. Grandma Sue packed a backpack with water and a snack. She left a note for Grandpa Jim. JR rummaged through the assortment of walking sticks kept by the back door until he found the perfect length for his grandmother and a shorter one for himself. A good walking stick would come in handy in case they needed to brush something off the path. It also made the walking a little bit easier. Kate didn't want a stick.

Off they went down the path that led to the woods, laughing and singing silly songs. But as they got closer to the woods, Grandma Sue stopped and told Kate and JR, “You will have to whisper in the woods if you want to see the animals that live there.” Kate and JR agreed, but knew it would be hard.

As they walked along the path, shiny rocks glistened in the afternoon sun. Birds were chirping in the trees. However, a pecking sound coming from a tall pine tree caught their attention. It sounded like a hammer tapping, tapping, as if on a stubborn nail. Up in the tree was a bold, red-headed woodpecker busily pecking tiny holes in the bark, making a circular pattern around the tree. “The woodpecker is looking for insects and sap to satisfy its appetite,” Grandma Sue explained.

Kate snapped a few photos. She saw the woodpecker give her a quick glance, and then back to work it went, as if to say, “I'm too busy for visitors today!”

So off the adventurers went. A rustling in the fallen leaves caught their attention.

“What could that be?” JR tried his best to whisper. In a flash, out ran a field mouse. The mouse saw them and ran as fast as it could across the path to the protection of a bush nearby.

“What a silly little creature—no time to visit. It seemed shocked to see someone on its path,” Kate said.

In the distance, Grandma Sue spotted a family of deer grazing on grass along the path. There was a buck with antlers, a doe, and a fawn. Grandma pointed to the deer. The deer stood quietly, watching the family. Kate snapped a few photos, which startled the buck. And off the family of deer went, deep into the woods. “Come back soon!” JR called out.

“Not so loud, JR. You will spook the other animals!” Kate said in an annoyed voice.

“Sorry,” JR said as he skipped along the path in front of her.

Not too far from the grassy spot beside the path, they spotted a small rabbit. It was sitting on the path, minding its business. As soon as it saw them, the rabbit crouched low into the path. It looked like a large brown stone. Kate whispered to her grandmother, “I think the rabbit wants us to go away. Look at its eyes. It is very scared.” Suddenly, the rabbit hopped away as fast as its feet would go. Kate and JR had to laugh. “Come back when you can stay longer!” Kate softly giggled.

After stopping to examine large acorns and pinecones, they spied the hay field at the end of the trail. JR picked up several acorns and put them in his pocket. Up in a tree, a squirrel started fussing and making almost-chirping noises. “Give them back, give them back!” JR thought he heard the squirrel say. JR replied, “There are plenty to go around! Stop your fussing!”

Grandma Sue announced, “We will have our snack at the log next to the field.”

She handed out moistened towels to clean their hands. She then gave them water and oatmeal cookies. They sat on the log and talked about the adventure so far—the animals and birds they had seen, and how the trees in the woods were starting to change colors as summer was coming to an end.