The three woman were bent over Alice’s cross-stitched mats when they heard Jason’s New York accent. “Good morning, ladies.”
“Good morning, Jason,” they chorused. Alice mugged in her best gangster impression, “Do you have the goods?” They all knew Stella was helping at the booth run by the Cultural Center all day.
Jason grinned and lifted a wide briefcase, setting it on the table next to the placemats. With a touch he sprang the lock and raised the top. All three of the crafters caught their breath in delight. Mary Beth drew out one of the scarves, the color of an icy blue river with currents and islands depicted in beige. “Fine, fine work, as always,” Mary Beth murmured.
“Oh, is that Stella’s project?” Gwen’s voice startled them. “I hope I can reach her level of perfection some day!” She reached out to lightly finger the edge of the scarf. “It’s one hundred percent wool too. It will be so cozy and warm in the cold.”
“Gwen, I’ve seen some pretty perfect work from you too,” said Mary Beth. “You have something for us, right?”
Kate hurried up to the booth before Gwen could answer. “Hi, everyone! Sorry I’m a little late. I needed to drop Vanessa off at the volleyball booth, and one of the coaches started asking me about the display. Guess he figured I’d been trained by the best and wanted to make good use of my training.” She scanned the pieces that were already on the table. “Oh, Stella was so right about this theme. The shoppers are going to love the variety!”
“Gwen was just going to show us her pieces,” said Annie.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kate laughed. “I’m dying to see too.”
Gwen opened her tote bag and drew out several knit evening purses with beading. Everyone recognized the pattern of delicate green leaves with lavender and periwinkle flowers from the regalia collar.
“I thought it would be appropriate to use a design from Great-Grandmother’s collar,” Gwen said. “It’s funny, isn’t it? A part of my heritage was just like that beautifully beaded piece—boxed in, locked up, and hidden away. Annie freed both with her discovery and her curiosity. For that, I am blessed, and I am thankful.”
Silence fell over the little group as each friend thought of the journey the pattern had traveled to end up in the exquisite purses. Eyes misted over like a foggy morning in Maine. Annie was the first to speak.
“Gwen, the purses are beautiful,” she said, almost in a whisper, “but the beauty of you finding the pathway to your Passamaquoddy past … well, that’s almost miraculous.”
Jason coughed uneasily, feeling out of place in that private moment between the friends. “If you ladies will excuse me, I need to get back to Stella.”
Mary Beth looked up. “Of course, Jason. Tell Stella we all love her scarves, and we’re sure everyone else will too.” Jason tipped his hat and strode away. “If I had known this was going to be so emotional, I think I would have had everyone bring their things yesterday.” She turned to Kate. “OK, go ahead. Finish this amazing collection we’ve got going.”
“Vanessa wanted to help too,” said Kate. “She made coffee-cup cozies, using some of our leftover yarns.” She opened her large tote bag and set several handfuls of cozies of different colors and thickness on the table.
“What a clever idea!” said Alice. She plucked up a thick silk cozy in a bright, multicolored yarn of purples, blues, reds, and greens. “I want this one.” She reached into her pocket for her wallet.
“Be sure to tell Vanessa that she made the first sale,” said Mary Beth. “That girl has a future at A Stitch In Time, just like her mother.”
Kate smiled. “I will.” She reached into the tote again and drew out one of her shawls. “I made them in a few different colors.” She spread out a triangular shawl in dark red. They saw that she had taken the curator’s advice and had chosen not to add any beading. The shawls didn’t need them. The evergreen tree pattern had more than enough impact on its own. Not one to draw attention to herself, Kate quickly emptied her tote and stored it under the booth. “We better get these displayed,” she said, looking at her watch. “It won’t be long before folks start arriving.”
“I need to go help John at the bank’s display,” said Gwen. She smiled at Annie and Alice. “We’re serving hot cocoa and apple cider.” She fingered the pile of cozies. “Would it be OK to bring some of these to our booth?”
Mary Beth nodded. “That’s a great idea, Gwen. If you run out, just call me on my cell phone, and I’ll have someone run more to you.”