Patchwork Christmas, page 33
1. Ada is very close to her grandmother. Nona is someone she can confide in and be herself with. Who fills these needs in your life?
2. Ada’s quilt is a chronicle of her life. Do you do anything to chronicle your life? A diary, scrapbooks? What other ways could you record the moments of your life?
3. Samuel is drawn into going down to Five Points to go “slumming” with his friends. What situation have your friends drawn you into? What are ways you could have told them no?
4. Samuel feels an inner voice directing him, and he takes this voice to be God giving him direction. How does God speak to you?
5. Samuel takes a huge risk saving Nusa and bringing her home. The choice changed his life completely. When has your life been changed by an act of kindness—from you or done for you?
6. Samuel feels an instant connection when he’s at the Merciful Children Foundling Home. When have you felt a strong connection to a place, an organization, or a group of people? Why?
7. Samuel sees a need at the Foundling Home but has no money to spare until his grandfather gives him a ring, freeing up Samuel’s money. When has God provided finances to you at just the right time?
8. Do you agree with Samuel’s decision to break up with Ada? How do you think the story would have ended if he’d stayed with her the first time?
9. You are the casting director for the film version of The Bridal Quilt. Who would you cast to play Ada? Samuel? Eliza? Owen?
10. If you were in charge of writing epitaphs for these characters, what would you say about them?
Crazy Quilt Ornaments
Crazy quilts use random odd-shaped pieces that are embellished with bits of trim of embroidery.
Step 1: Choose your shapes—simple shapes. Cookie cutters are a good source, or children’s coloring books or workbooks. The size should be about 3”. Once you choose a shape, trace it on a piece of muslin or solid-color cotton with a permanent marker (you want it to bleed through). This is your base fabric and will not show in the final ornament. For illustration, a stocking shape is used.
Since these are so small, don’t use a sewing machine. Just hand-stitch the pieces together (as described in the following steps) using a simple running stitch.
Step 2: Place your first fabric, right side up, over a large portion of your muslin pattern. Stitch ¼” from the edge on top and bottom of piece. Note: any piece of fabric that extends over edge of pattern should do so by ¼” to provide future seam allowance.
Step 3: Place your second fabric, right side down over a corner of the basic shape, covering a bit of the existing fabric, edge to edge. Stitch ¼” from the edge. When done, flip Fabric #2 over along stitching line and press.
Step 4: Add Fabrics #3 and #4, repeating process in Step 3. It helps to baste the shape outline through all the fabrics to help keep them in place while you move on to the next step: embroidery and embellishment.
Step 5: Once the ornament is pressed, you’re ready to embellish it with embroidery stitches, beads, or bits of lace. There are many online sites with directions for stitches. Here’s one: http://www.embroiderersguild.com/stitch/stitches/
Step 6, Lining: When you’re done making the ornament fancy, cut ¼” from the outline of the basic shape. Cut a piece of backing fabric—something pretty, not muslin. Choose a piece of ribbon for the hanger. Making a loop, put hanger in place between the right side of the ornament and the right side of the lining. Pin. Then pin right sides of ornament and lining together. Stitch around the shape outline, leaving an opening of about 1½”. Trim the corners and the curves so it’s not bulky when you turn it. Turn the ornament right side out and press. Blind-stitch the 1½” opening shut.
To see a color photo of the ornament, go to Nancy’s website: http://nancymoser.com/updates.html
Grandma Lillie’s Raisin Bars
1½ cups raisins
1½ cups water
1½ cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3½ cups flour
GLAZE:
1½ cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
Boil raisins in water for 3 minutes until plumped up—do not drain. Mix together all other ingredients and add undrained raisins. Spread on greased, sided cookie sheet. Dough will be about ½” thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 17 to 19 minutes. Cool. Spread glaze over bars.
Nancy Moser is an award-winning author of over twenty novels that share a common message: we each have a unique purpose—the trick is to find out what it is. Her genres include contemporary and historical novels including An Unlikely Suitor, Mozart’s Sister, and the Christy Award-winning Time Lottery. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. www.nancymoser.com.
A Patchwork Christmas Contest
Judy, Nancy, and Stephanie invite you to enter to win one of three lasting mementos of A Patchwork Christmas:
A pair of mittens made from the Amana pattern mentioned in “Seams like Love”
A doll quilt like the one Molly makes in “A Patchwork Love”
A crazy quilt ornament made in the style of the quilt in “The Bridal Quilt”
Visit each of the three authors’ websites before the closing date of November 30, 2012 for more information on how to enter the contest.
www.judithmccoymiller.com/contest
www.nancymoser.com
www.stephaniewhitson.com
Judith Mccoy Miller, Patchwork Christmas
