false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255643635m/3678952.jpg 3678952 4 Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson treasures an antique quilt called by three names -- Birds in the Air, after its pattern; the Runaway Quilt, after the woman who sewed it; and the Elm Creek Quilt, after the place to which its maker longed to return. That quilter was Joanna, a fugitive slave who traveled by the Underground Railroad to reach safe haven in 1859 at Elm Creek Farm.<P>Though Joanna's freedom proved short-lived -- she was forcibly returned by slave catchers to Josiah Chester's plantation in Virginia -- she left the Bergstrom family a most precious gift, her son. Hans and Anneke Bergstrom, along with maiden aunt Gerda, raised the boy as their own, and the secret of his identity died with their generation. Now it falls to Sylvia -- drawing upon Gerda's diary and Joanna's quilt -- to connect Joanna's past to present-day Elm Creek Manor.<P>Just as Joanna could not have foreseen that, generations later, her quilt would become the subject of so much speculation and wonder, Sylvia and her friends never could have imagined the events Joanna witnessed in her lifetime. Punished for her escape by being sold off to her master's brother in Edisto Island, South Carolina, Joanna grieves over the loss of her son and resolves to run again, to reunite with him someday in the free North. Farther south than she has ever been, she nevertheless finds allies, friends, and even love in the slave quarter of Oak Grove, a cotton plantation where her skill with needle and thread soon becomes highly prized.<P>Through hardship and deprivation, Joanna dreams of freedom and returning to Elm Creek Farm. Determined to remember each landmark on the route north, Joanna pieces a quilt of scraps left over from the household sewing, concealing clues within the meticulous stitches. Later, in service as a seamstress to the new bride of a Confederate officer, Joanna moves on to Charleston, where secrets she keeps will affect the fate of a nation, and her abilities and courage enable her to aid the country and the people she loves most.<P>The knowledge that scraps can be pieced and sewn into simple lines -- beautiful both in and of themselves and also for what they represent and what they can accomplish -- carries Joanna through dark days. Sustaining herself and her family through ingenuity and art during the Civil War and into Reconstruction, Joanna leaves behind a remarkable artistic legacy that, at last, allows Sylvia to discover the fate of the long-lost quilter. 3722308 book 7 4 2009 The Lost Quilter: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel total:386|5:109|4:186|3:74|2:15|1:2| 386 1543 613 157 3 0 false false Tue May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 11:56:05 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 08:00:00 -0700 2009
Sylvia Bergstrom Compson is a master quilter who "treasures an antique quilt called by three names -- Birds in the Air, after its pattern; the Runaway Quilt, after the woman who sewed it; and the Elm Creek Quilt, after the place to w...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 16:44:07 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 14:30:48 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jun 11 09:43:35 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 11:35:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jul 09 13:01:38 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 13:10:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Apr 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 09:48:46 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:08:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 16:18:15 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 16:30:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 13:37:47 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 12:32:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jun 21 14:03:17 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 14:11:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 14:09:38 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 17:11:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 22:31:04 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 23:22:13 -0700 2009
I was instantly drawn into the characters and the lives they were living. I c...more...]]> 4 1 false true Wed Apr 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 13:11:55 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 11:32:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 10:49:34 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 10:58:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 14:24:08 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 21:00:52 -0700 2009
I find it so interesting that I hap...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 08:44:26 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 08:49:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 02 15:17:13 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 15:25:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 15:08:13 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 10:47:55 -0700 2009 The Runaway Quilt. As with the other Elm Creek books, this one begins with Sylvia discovering a new fact about her family or their quilting. While the...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 17:45:59 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 17:54:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Apr 03 19:38:31 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 19:40:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 23:26:27 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 23:48:10 -0700 2009
After finding some old letters in desk, the staff of Elm Creek Quilters camp begin to...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 07:19:03 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 07:22:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3678952