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I have a mixture of updates on my own quilting progress as well as some tutorials, some eye candy, some experiences, and some sharing of ideas as well as updates on my quilting group and even some book reviews.
Today I’m going to give a book review of Jennifer Chiaverini‘s most recent book, The Wedding Quilt. This is a book that would make a great BIRTHDAY present for a quilter in your life.
This book reminisces about Sarah McClure’s arrival at Elm Creek Manor, reviews her relationship as it grew with Sylvia Bergstrom Compton and how her quilting lessons became the popular quilt retreat, Elm Creek Quilts.
Sarah’s daughter is getting married in this book and the author uses the opportunity of wedding preparations to bring the various members of the Elm Creek Quilt group back on the scene. I found this very helpful as it’s been a while since the first book and I wasn’t recalling many of the details about all the friends involved in Chiaverini’s books.
As we would all expect, the Elm Creek Quilters get together to create a wedding quilt for Sarah’s daughter, Caroline.
I related to many things in the book just as you will. Sarah didn’t have a wedding quilt because she wasn’t a quilter when she got married. She made a quilt to mark her first anniversary. Both of my children received First Anniversary quilts from me. I was making my daughter’s wedding dress which kept me very busy from February to August that year. I was teaching school then so my fingers were busy evenings sewing pearls onto the French lace for the wedding dress. I didn’t have time to make her a wedding quilt, though I really, really wanted to. I knew I wouldn’t have time. Thus, Sara and Dave received a First Anniversary quilt. It was a variation of the Dresden Plate all done in blues, my daughter Sara’s favorite color.
I didn’t make a wedding quilt for our son’s marriage to his dear wife, Aubrey, thinking perhaps her mother (also a quilter) would and I didn’t want to step on toes. I also decided I would follow the same plan as I did with Sara, making them a First Anniversary quilt.
The quilt I made for them also has lots of blues in it, Aubrey’s favorite color. I completed the quilt while at the Plantation last winter as part of a Mystery Quilt project. As I chose the colors I had in mind the First Anniversary quilt. It has lots of stars on it.
The Picture File gremlin has been at it again. Sorry, I can’t find the photo. When I do, I’ll insert it.
Back to To The Wedding Quilt, it is a book of memories-memories made and memories relived during the preparation of the wedding quilt. If you’ve read all the other Elm Creek Quilts novels, you will definitely want to read this one. If you haven’t read the others, this book will introduce you to the friendships, joys and sorrows of the Elm Creek Quilters. I recommend all the others too. The Union Quilters was timely in its release, coming out just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Civil War this year.
I enjoyed reading about the quilt that hangs on the wall in the Elm Creek Manor. I didn’t remember about this wall quilt from previous books but now it seems like an important piece. Each original Elm Creek Quilter has a quilt section they made and when they return to the Manor, they put their piece back onto the wall. I love this reminder of each member of the group and the memories it creates for Sarah and the other quilters as they see the missing sections of the quilt and recall their friends.
I don’t know if Jennifer Chiaverini plans to write more Elm Creek Quilts novels but it could go either way. This book almost feels like a wrap-up of the series, but also leaves the reader wondering if the books will evolve into a new generation of quilters beginning with Jay and Caroline, Sarah and Matthew’s children. Only time will tell!
I hope you enjoyed my book review and I hope you’ll come back next time. I have fabric postcards almost finished I want to share with you, and I’m going to be baking this week so maybe there will be a recipe. Happy Quilting!
Marsha
On The Go Quilting 