Title: The Wedding QuiltAuthor: Jennifer Chiaverini
Genre: Fiction
Series: Elm Creek Quilts
Audience: Adult
Format: Book - Library
From Goodreads: Sarah McClure arrived at Elm Creek Manor as a newlywed, never suspecting that her quilting lessons with master quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson would inspire the successful and enduring business Elm Creek Quilts, whose members have nurtured a circle of friendship spanning generations.
The Wedding Quilt opens as the wedding day of Sarah's daughter Caroline approaches. As Sarah has learned, a union celebrates not only the betrothed couple's passage into wedlock, but also the contributions of those who have made the bride and groom the unique people they are. Thus Sarah's thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present-the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, and the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch.
A wedding quilt is a powerful metaphor: of sisterhood, of community, of hope for the future. The blocks in Caroline's wedding quilt will display the signatures of beloved guests. As the Elm Creek Quilters circulate amid the festive preparations with pens and fabric in hand, memories of the Manor-and of the women who have lived there, in happiness and in sorrow-spill forth, rendering a vivid pastiche of family, friendship, and love in all its varieties.
What I thought: This is the 18th book in the Elm Creek Quilts series. It has been too long since I have sat down at my sewing machine and this may just have inspired me to start rifling through my stash again to see what I can come up with.
The Elm Creek books jump between two time periods, the modern day and the time around the Civil War in America. The last book set in modern day saw Sarah pregnant with twins. This book takes place 25 years later as one of the twins is about to get married. Each chapter deals with what has been happening to a particular Elm Creek Quilter in the past 25 years as well as exploring the twins up bringing and the what has happened to Elm Creek Quilts over the year. As usual, it wasn't a taxing read, but very enjoyable. I will continue to read this series as books are released.
Recommended for: those who are interested in quilting or have read the rest of the series.
