Eventually everyone was organized. Mike and Ramona took their places on the front porch. On a signal from Arden's Tom, I stepped out the door on the far side, came around the back, and appeared to the assembled multitudes dressed in a simple navy blue dress with a nosegay of red flowers at my waist, playing the bagpipes!
I was terrible. Playing the bagpipes well takes hundreds of hours of practice. I'd only gotten a few lessons from one of the men who'd piped in the haggis at the Robert Burns Festival, and I sounded dreadful. All by myself, I deftly transformed the ancient hymn "Amazing Grace" into "Appalling Racket"!
But if making an appearance was what I was striving for, and making an effort in the Cause of Love was what I was attempting, I achieved them both. Mike's eyes gleamed with astonishment, and everyone laughed and applauded. We said our few vows, Ramona pronounced us man and wife, and our guests cheered lustily. And the best part was that we were in love, we were surrounded by our family and friends—and we had what was quite possibly the world's largest potluck supper ever.
It was a beautiful wedding, if I do say so myself.
* * * * *
Barb Hoxsie Mackenzie and her 1001 Quilt Blocks aside, my sources of inspiration and guidance have been:
1001 Patchwork Designs by Maggie Malone, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, ©1982.
The Illustrated Index to Traditional American Quilt Patterns by Susan Winter Mills, Arco Publishing, Inc., New York, ©1980.
101 Patchwork Patterns by Ruby McKim, c. 1932; new edition published by Dover Publications, New York, ©1962.
The Quilter's Album of Blocks and Borders by Jinny Beyer, EPM Publications, Inc., McLean, Virginia, ©1980.
The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman, American Quilter's Society, Paducah, Kansas, ©1993.
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The Name of the Quilt: Tales of Patchwork, Mayhem, and Murder
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