The Patchwork Quilt of Happiness

by Ava Miles

  And that pity had, more often than not, been soured by flat-out unkindness. There were times they’d called her a devil’s seed and told her she was predisposed to follow in her mother’s path, something that had terrified her until she’d grown older and realized there wasn’t some bad-seed gene in her DNA. She could make her own choices to be a good person. Her mother’s choices might affect her, but they didn’t predispose her to self-destruction.

  “You’ll catch on real quick, honey,” Imogene said. “When I started six months ago, I didn’t know how to sew a button. Now I can piece a pattern together and sew it right up. Lickety split.”

  Somehow Paige didn’t think it was that easy, but she smiled back at the women who were sending encouraging smiles her way. She was moved by how quickly they’d integrated her into their group.

  “We have a sewing machine here for students to use,” Sadie said. “Let me show you the squares we have available for students. Most of the long-time quilters love to hunt for the right fabric. Some even cut up squares from old clothing like those flannel nightgowns you mentioned. Ada made the most beautiful quilts out of Perry’s clothes and gave them to her children this past Christmas.”

  Ada gave a quick nod. “My sister hemmed and hawed about it being maudlin. She thought it would be more fitting to give his clothes to the Salvation Army. Like she knows better. I mean, I volunteer there four times a week. It’s a great place to buy clothes for fabric, Paige.”

  “Your sister is a busybody,” Leanne said, shaking her head as she pulled a quilt in progress out of her bag, “and you were right to go with your heart. Those quilts are going to be passed down for generations. You mark my words.”

  Whitney took out what looked like a bunch of colorful squares held together by stickpins. “Whitney, look at how much you accomplished since last week,” Sadie said, rising and crossing to the young woman.

  “I spent most of the weekend working on it. I’m so glad you had me practice on a few other quilts first though. I needed to get the basics.”

  “Whitney is an artist,” Sadie said, turning toward Paige to include her in the conversation, “and she had a vision of what she wanted her baby’s quilt to look like. She drew it for me, and together we created a simple design.”

  “Of course, I might change my mind next week when we find out whether we’re having a boy or girl,” Whitney said. “Sadie can tell you. It’s taken me a while to settle on something. I want it to be perfect.”

  “That’s right,” Mae said. “You have your ultrasound next week. I can’t wait to hear what y’all are having. Paige, Sadie is really good at bringing someone’s vision down to their skill level.”

  Paige felt the first whisper of panic. She didn’t have a vision.

  “It’s only natural to want to come in here and make a quilt like you’ve seen at an art bazaar,” Ada added. “Best to keep an open mind in the beginning.”

  Paige had never noticed quilts before at art shows. She and Mark didn’t really go to art shows. When Riley watched Haley, they liked to go out to dinner and a movie or hang out with their other friends.

  “Or on Pinterest,” Leanne said, ripping some cloth up at the seam like she was pulling weeds out of the garden.

  Paige could never imagine ripping anything up so confidently. How did she avoid tearing the fabric? Oh, this was going to be so much harder than she’d thought… Then she reminded herself she was here for Sadie and a good cause. It didn’t matter if she became a master quilter overnight.

  “I end up looking at pin after pin on Pinterest,” Leanne said, “instead of quilting on my own some nights.”

  “That’s because your Horace doesn’t keep you guessing anymore,” Ada teased.

  The woman barked out a laugh. “My goodness, Ada, we’ve been married for almost forty years. If he kept me guessing at my age, I’d probably have a heart attack. Paige, I picked up quilting when he retired. I had to get out of the house, and it gave me the chance to create a sewing room. He has his new reading room, and I have my getaway. Keeps a marriage going, let me tell you.”

  Sadie was laughing softly. “Come on, Paige. Let me show you the squares.”

  Paige felt her nerves intensify as she followed her. She knew it was only natural when a person started something new, but there was still a part of her that wanted to know what to do right off the mark. The same part that wanted to impress her sister.

  “I don’t normally start off showing new students how to cut their own squares unless they’re like Whitney and have something specific in mind. She looked at tons of fabric all over Nashville, let me tell you.”

  “I’m not that ambitious,” Paige murmured.

  Sadie had led her to a cluster of shelves in the back of the store. “Beginners typically find it easier to deal with pre-cut larger squares. These are five-inch,” she said, pointing to a stack of squares, “but we have some that are a little smaller or larger. A nine-patch quilt is very simple and traditional. Less to piece together and easier to sew.”

  It couldn’t be too hard, right? It was just a machine, a needle, and a thread.

  “You can also make a quilt out of strips of cloth, what we call a strip quilt. Also a lovely option. When I mentioned it to Rye—who’s one of our brother’s best friends—he said I couldn’t make him one of those since he’s a family man now.”

  Sadie laughed, but Paige was still reeling from the stripper reference. Did that mean their brother was crude too? Somehow, just from spending time with Sadie, she doubted it.

  “You’d have to know Rye. Anyway, you select the strips and piece them together. Again, less to piece since you’re starting with a baby quilt. Those only run somewhere around thirty-five to forty-five inches, although it depends on your vision.”

  That vision thing again. She felt her hands form fists by her side.

  “We can also make a nice border around your squares if you want,” Sadie said. “This first one is about having fun, keeping it simple, and making something you’ll be proud of. I’m pretty much here to help you with anything.” She took down a stack of squares and then an equally large pile of strips.

  “We’ve already ironed the squares and strips, FYI, so if you’d be mindful as you comb through them, I’d appreciate it. Of course, you’re going to have to iron your seams once you sew them together, but it’s easier to piece the squares if they aren’t wrinkled.”

  “That makes sense,” Paige said, taking in the myriad of squares. It was a veritable treasure trove.

  “As you can see, there’s a mixture of solid colors and patterns. You might want to mix and match—use some of the single color squares in, say, pink and yellow, with some of these polka dot squares. Do a ruffle border. Keeps things interesting. The colors are complementary, and it creates a different effect.” She paused. “You look overwhelmed, Paige.”

  “I’m okay,” she said, breathing shallowly as she eyed the squares. There were so many of them… “It’s all new, you know?”

  “You’ll be fine,” Sadie said, patting her arm. “But promise to tell me if you don’t take a shine to quilting. It won’t hurt my feelings. I mean, none of my sisters quilt. That’s probably why I cried a little when they all volunteered to take my class so they could meet you.”

  Oh, if that didn’t pull her heartstrings… “That’s…really sweet of them.”

  Sadie nodded. “Why don’t I leave you to look at squares for a bit while I check on everyone else? Oh, and I need to mention this before I forget. We’ve already pre-washed the fabric for these swatches. Personally I always do that because you don’t want to spend all that time quilting only to discover some of your squares have shrunk in the dryer.” She made a face.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Paige said. Goodness, there was so much to remember. She should have brought a notebook. Next time.

  “That’s why you’re taking a class,” Sadie said, smiling. “It’s always easier to learn something when someone shows you, I’ve found.”


  “Who taught you?” she asked.

  “My sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Polski, used to quilt while we were taking tests,” she told her. “I took an interest, and she ended up showing me during recess and after school a few times a week. She was a dear woman. She gave me her all of her quilting materials—fabrics, old pattern books, you name it—when she learned she had stage 4 liver cancer. She died a few years ago, but I feel her around me sometimes when I’m quilting. She was a member of our church, which was how we kept in touch as I grew older.”

  “She sounds like a lovely woman,” Paige said. Then, because it was important to be honest, she blurted out, “Sadie, I don’t have a vision. For the quilt.”

  “That’s okay,” she said. “That’s part of the fun. Sometimes I toddle around for days, trying to come up with what I want to say in a quilt. Just let your imagination go. Or put your hand on your heart and listen for the first word that comes to mind.”

  Paige didn’t have to put a hand on her heart. Suddenly she heard the word, and it was so loud, she pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting emotion.

  “Sadie, I have my word.”

  Her sister put her arm around her shoulder, as if sensing her emotion. “That’s great. What is it?”

  “Safe,” she whispered. “I want the baby who receives this quilt to feel safe.”

  She never had felt that way as a child, she realized again sadly. Until she got away from her mom to go to college, she’d been on pins and needles her whole life.

  “That’s a beautiful intention,” Sadie said, her eyes filling with tears. “I know you’ll put it into the quilt. Every quilter I know talks about sewing love and other intentions into their work. In some cases, I’ve even written down a short prayer on a piece of thin cloth and sewn it between the batting and the backing. But don’t tell anyone. That’s one of my secrets.”

  Paige had never heard of anything sweeter. She didn’t pray much on her own, although she went to church with Mark from time to time for Haley. But she really loved the idea of writing down a prayer and putting it into a quilt. Of everything she’d heard tonight, that made her warm to quilting the most. Mark had always said prayer was like the wishes you wanted for yourself and those you love, which felt like a rather profound way to describe it.

  “All right, let your heart show you what patches or strips confer the beauty of safety to a newborn baby,” Sadie said. “You can even take a whole bunch home and play with them. You know, arrange them into different patterns. I like to do that sometimes. It’s like Play-Doh for adults, making different shapes and then starting over again.”

  Paige had never played with Play-Doh. She’d never even colored as a child because her mother had said coloring was for sissies. People are mean, Paige, and life will kick you in the teeth if you let it. You have to learn to be mean right back. She hadn’t really believed her mother, but no one at home had given her Play-Doh or coloring books, no matter how much she’d asked. In fact, one time her mother had found a coloring book a friend had given her and thrown it away.

  Mark said it was why she’d chosen website design. There were no tangible materials for anyone to take from her. That realization had kinda broken her heart.

  “Thank you, Sadie,” she said, hoping her sister understood she was grateful for more than this little tutorial.

  “You’re going to come up with something beautiful, Paige, again and again. I just know it. I’ll be right back.”

  Her sister turned to leave, and Paige knew she couldn’t wait a moment longer to share what she’d been thinking this last half hour. “Sadie?”

  “Yes, Paige?” her sister said, spinning around, her dress flaring out at the edges. She seemed to sense something in her tone because her smile dimmed.

  “I’d like to meet the rest of your…I mean…ah…our siblings. Maybe y’all could come over this Saturday? I’d like it to be just us five at first, but I’d feel better if Mark was with me. Riley can watch Haley.”

  “Oh, of course,” Sadie said, her lip starting to tremble. “We can host you too. You don’t need to go to any trouble. I mean, there are more of us and—”

  “It’s no trouble,” Paige said, trying to keep it together. “I’d…like to do something.”

  “We’d love that! We’d just… Since you mentioned him, I feel I should share that I’m still not sure Riley and I hit it off. I mean…there were times when I felt this pull and then others…we have totally different views on important things like…but he texted me afterward. Oh, crap. I shouldn’t go into details. He’s your friend, and I’m sorry.”

  Paige gave her an assuring smile. “You’ll both find your way. I’m staying out of it.”

  She blew out a breath. “Whew! That’s good to hear. I mean, I don’t want this to be weird. We have enough going on without any complications. I mean he—” She slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “It’s okay, Sadie,” Paige told her, fighting the urge to grin. Her sister was clearly conflicted. Again, not her business.

  Sadie was blushing too, just like Riley had, which only made the situation more endearing.

  “I’m going to make some quilt magic to get my mind off this little talk,” Sadie said, laughing and leaving the storage shelves.

  Paige had no trouble seeing the magic around her. Sadie was the magic.

  Who else could have made her fall in love with her long-lost sister in the scope of a couple of days, join a quilting class, and agree to meet her long-lost family?

  Chapter 7

  “Sadie!”

  She’d barely cut her engine after parking on Paige’s street when she looked over and saw Jess running down her front porch and across her yard in a green princess dress. Since Sadie had worked a morning shift at Oodles, she’d driven over alone for the meeting with Paige and the rest of her siblings. Saturday traffic had been nonexistent, so she was early. Staying in her car and waiting for her siblings no longer looked like an option.

  “Hi, Jess,” she said when she exited her car.

  The little girl waved her princess wand and kept running, her hemline dragging in the freshly mowed grass.

  “Jess!” she heard Riley call out from his porch.

  Her gaze locked onto him, and everything seemed to still around her. He had on a black T-shirt and faded jeans, and he looked good. Somewhere she heard, Yum, and shook herself. The attraction was still there, darn it.

  Sadie had the sudden compulsion to dart back into her car. The one text Riley had sent had been to thank her for dinner, and she’d responded with equal manners, but their exchange had ended there. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, especially since she’d found herself thinking about Riley more than expected, but she’d decided to let it alone.

  Oh, please don’t let this be awkward. She had enough on her hands with the epic McGuiness meeting with Paige.

  “Hello, Sadie,” he called as he ran after his daughter. “Jess, we talked about this. Come back here. Sorry about this. I know it’s a big day. Jess! I mean it.”

  “Hi, Sadie!” the little girl said when she reached her. “Dad said Haley and I were supposed to leave you alone, but I just had to say hi. Sadie! I didn’t know you were Paige’s long-lost half-sister. That’s so neat! It’s like when Rapunzel realizes she’s the lost princess and reunites with her parents.”

  Riley scooped her up in his arms. “Excuse my daughter. She only speaks Disney and clearly needs to learn a lesson in listening to her father.” He nuzzled her neck, and she let out a giggle.

  Okay, this was the man she was attracted to. The attractive guy who was so sweet with his daughter. The funny guy who made her laugh. “That’s okay. I’m early.”

  “Dad, you had to say hello to Sadie,” Jess said. “I mean, you really like her.”

  He made a face. “Again, I’m sorry for this. I’ll just take this one back to the house…”

  Jess pushed against his chest, and he lowered her to the ground. “I’ll leave y’all to chat. But don’
t worry, I’ll be back.”

  “God, she sounds like a mini-Terminator when she says that,” Riley said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know…Arnold—”

  “Schwarzenegger,” she said. “I understand the reference.”

  He rocked back on his heels. “So, how have you been?”

  “Good,” she said, nodding her head. “Busy this week, what with Paige’s first class and now today…”

  “Yeah, it’s incredible,” Riley said, pinning her with that intense blue gaze. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a display of so much courage. It really inspired me this week with my new female superhero.”

  That took Sadie by surprise. To her knowledge, she’d never inspired anything before. People and events typically inspired her, not the other way around. “That’s wonderful to hear. How did it…inspire you?”

  He gestured to her. Not in a rude way, mind you. The way his hands moved was oddly inviting, like he was framing her in his mind somehow, seeing the individual pieces that made her up. She saw her quilt designs that way, and she suspected he drew like that too.

  “I thought I was on the right path for my superhero, but after meeting you, she seemed cliché somehow. You know, like some sort of stock character. Even the name I’d come up with didn’t fit anymore. I…you don’t want to hear this.”

  Oh, yes, she did. “Please. I really do.”

  “Well…even though I know we had some ups and down on our date, there were moments where…it was like time slowed down.”

  She almost gulped. That was how she’d felt only moments ago.

  “Or simply stopped altogether,” he continued, his gaze searching her. “It’s like you had the power to alter time. My time. Our time together. Ah…I’m not making any sense.”

  “No, I…think I understand what you mean. At those moments, it was like all our differences—”

  “Didn’t matter,” he said, finishing her thought.