I read a description of a quilt as “a conversation in cloth.” True on so many levels. I’ve seen quilts that literally tell a story by their very design. There are others that have been crafted from scraps of material artfully pieced together. Each part a separate story adding to the conversation.

And then there’s the Amish quilt that hung on our wall for many years in Reading, and now rests on a quilt rack here on the Cape. It was old and a bit faded and frayed when it came into our hands over thirty years ago, but I’ve always loved it.

This quilt was handmade with tiny, even stitches. Perhaps it’s romantic fancy on my part, but its very sight conjures up an image of a quilting bee. Women with nimble fingers and spirited conversation working together to create something not only practical, but beautiful as well.