The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (31 page)

After the students did as Emma asked, she explained that the quilting process was stitching three layers of material together. “But before we begin the actual process, you’ll need to cut a piece of cotton batting approximately two inches larger than your quilt top on all sides,” Emma said. “The excess batting and backing will be trimmed even with the quilt top after all the quilting stitches have been completed.”

Everyone watched as she and Lamar demonstrated.

“Now, in order to create a smooth, even quilting surface, all three layers of the quilt need to be put in a frame,” Emma continued. “For a larger quilt you would need a quilting frame that could stretch and hold the entire quilt at one time. But since your wall hangings are much smaller than a full-sized quilt, you can use a frame that’s similar to a large embroidery hoop.” She held up one of the small frames she’d placed on the table. “It’s important when using this type of hoop to baste the entire quilt together through all three layers. This will keep the layers evenly stretched while you’re quilting. Just be sure you don’t quilt over the basting, or it will be difficult to remove later on.”

Emma waited patiently until each person had cut out their batting. Then Lamar stepped forward and said, “The next step will be to mark the design you want on your quilt top. But if you only want to outline the patches you’ve sewn with quilting, then no marking is necessary. You’ll just need to quilt close to the seam so the patch will be emphasized.”

Emma went on to explain about needle size, saying that it was best to try several and see which one seemed the most comfortable to handle. She also stated that the use of a snugly fitting thimble worn on the middle finger of the hand used for pushing the quilting needle was necessary, since the needle would have to be poked through three layers of fabric repeatedly. She then demonstrated on a quilt patch, showing how to pull the needle and thread through the material to create the quilting pattern. “The stitches should be tiny and even,” Emma said. “They need to be snug, but not so tight that they’ll cause the material to pucker.”

Terry groaned. “That sounds hard, and look—I’ve already stitched my shirtsleeve to a piece of the material,” he said, lifting his arm. “Guess I shouldn’t have gone ahead of the others.” Wanting to look a little nicer today, he’d worn a pale green shirt with long sleeves, but now he wished he’d worn a T-shirt. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably mess my whole wall hanging up. Since this is the fourth class, I thought I’d be doing better by now.”

“Don’t worry, it takes time, and that’s why Lamar and I are here to help you,” Emma said. “For now, rather than worrying about the size of the stitches, just try to concentrate on making them straight.”

“Better let me take a look at that shirtsleeve,” Lamar spoke up, walking to Terry’s side of the table. “I’ll just cut the material off for you, and it’s nothing to get riled about. At one time or another we’ve all had an unforgettable moment when trying something new. I’ll bet someday you’ll look back at this and laugh.”

Terry held his wrist out to Lamar and watched as he quickly detached the material and loose threads. When Lamar was finished, Terry glanced over at Cheryl, who sat across the table from him. She was already pinning her batting to the patterned pieces of material she’d sewn last week, and from the smile on her face, he figured she was enjoying the whole process.

Quilting ain’t for me
, Terry thought as he fumbled with his pieces of material, trying to get them placed and stitched on the batting he’d cut.
I doubt I’ll be looking back and laughing at anything that has to do with quilting
.
If it hadn’t been for wanting to ask Cheryl out, I’d never have taken this class
.

Terry studied Cheryl’s pretty face and golden-blond hair. She was a real looker, all right; but it was more than Cheryl’s looks that had made Terry decide to ask her out again. Having spent last Sunday afternoon with her, Terry quickly realized that he was drawn to her personality. He liked hearing her laugh when he said something funny and was impressed with her caring attitude. Cheryl had also been such a good sport about riding on the back of his Harley. He appreciated that she didn’t judge him because of the way he dressed or wore his hair, either.

Terry glanced over at Blaine, sitting beside Cheryl with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.
I’ll bet he loved it when I stitched my shirtsleeve to that piece of cloth. Well, I guess it was pretty funny. Blaine’s probably better for Cheryl
, Terry thought with regret.
If I had a lick of sense I’d back off, but if I did that, I’d never get the chance to really know her. Nope. I’m going out with her again tomorrow and see where it goes from there
.

Carmen glanced at Selma, who sat beside her. She was smiling and appeared much happier this morning. Up until today, she’d been so sullen.
I wonder what happened to bring on the change? Guess it wouldn’t be right to ask, but it’s sure an improvement
. Watching Selma as she sewed and hummed to herself, made Carmen feel happy, too.

Carmen turned her attention to Anna, sitting on the other side of the table. Even though she was doing a good job of quilting, her droopy eyelids and slumped shoulders made her appear to be sad. Had something happened at home? Did she have an argument with her parents or one of her siblings? Carmen hoped she could talk to Anna after class. Whatever was bothering the girl, Carmen was sure she wouldn’t want to discuss it in front of the others. Maybe Anna would open up to her. After all, she had told Carmen some things about her parents and shared her feelings about them. But knowing Anna trusted her bothered Carmen, too, because she’d begun to question her motives in writing the negative article about the Amish.

“How are you doing?” Emma asked, placing her hands on Carmen’s shoulders. “Are you getting the feel for quilting yet?”

Glad for the interruption, Carmen smiled up at Emma. “It’s not as hard as I thought it would be, but it is slow and tedious.”

Emma nodded. “It’s good to go slow at first, though. That way you’ll be able to get more even stitches. But remember, the more you do it, the easier it will get.”

“I’m glad I signed up for this class,” Carmen said. “Not just to learn to quilt, but to get to know you, Emma.”

“My wife’s easy to get to know, because she cares so much about people,” Lamar spoke up from across the room, where he’d gone to get more pins for Blaine.

“And so do you,” Emma said, smiling at Lamar when he returned to the table.

He grinned back at her. “Guess that’s why we make such a good team.”

Carmen couldn’t help feeling a bit envious. It was obvious that Emma and Lamar were deeply in love. What she wouldn’t give to find that kind of happiness with a man.
Lorinda and Paul had a special relationship
, she thought.
If she hadn’t been killed, they might have had another child by now, and I’d be an auntie again
.

Carmen thought about the phone call she’d had from Paul last night, asking if she would join him for dinner tonight. He’d said Maria would watch Sophia, so it would just be the two of them. Carmen looked forward to spending some time alone with Paul. He was easygoing, kind, and quite good-looking. It was no wonder Lorinda had fallen in love with him. Given the chance, Carmen thought she could fall in love with Paul; although she doubted he’d ever feel that way about her. Besides the fact that Carmen was Lorinda’s sister, her home and job were clear across the country. It was just a silly dream to think that anything romantic could develop between her and Paul, yet she couldn’t stop thinking about it. In fact, the more Carmen tried to talk herself out of those possibilities, the more her mind kept going in that direction. Once more, Carmen wondered how Paul would feel if he knew the real reason she was here. What would he think of her then?

Blaine fidgeted in his chair, anxious for today’s class to be over. Even though he was finally getting the hang of it, he was bored with quilting.

“How’s it going?” Lamar asked, taking a seat beside Blaine.

“Okay, I guess, but sewing’s not really my thing.” He glanced around to see if anyone was listening.

“What is your thing?”

“That’s easy; it’s fishing.”

“I enjoy fishing, too,” Lamar said. “In fact, when the weather is nice I go to Lake Shipshewana every chance I get.”

“Same here. It’s a wonder we’ve never bumped into each other there.” Blaine smiled, wondering why the two of them had never struck up a conversation about fishing before. The class would have been less boring if they had. “No matter what time of day, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing than sitting at the lake with my fishing pole in the water.”

“How about the two of us going fishing this afternoon?” Lamar suggested.

“As nice as that sounds, I’ve made other arrangements for today,” Blaine said, with a feeling of regret. “If the weather’s decent, maybe we could go next week after class.”

Lamar gave a nod. “That sounds like a plan.”

When class was over, Anna hurried out the door behind Carmen. “I need to tell you something,” she said as they stepped into the yard.

“What is it?” Carmen asked, halting her footsteps.

“It’s about that bracelet you gave me.” Anna dropped her gaze to the ground. This was harder than she thought it would be. “As much as I’d like to, I—I just can’t keep it.”

“How come?”

“One of my sisters found it in my purse, and I’m afraid if I keep it my folks will find out.” Anna shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I appreciate that you bought it for me, and I hope you’ll understand, but I need to give the bracelet back to you.”

“I’ll take it back on one condition,” Carmen said as Anna handed her the bracelet.

“What’s that?”

“If you’ll allow me to buy you something else.”

Anna shook her head. “That’s okay; I don’t really need anything.”

“Oh please. I’d really like to get you something,” Carmen insisted. “Is there anything special you’d like?”

Anna shook her head. “I’m fine, really.”

Carmen looked disappointed, but she smiled and said, “Let me know if you change your mind.”