Chapter 12: Amy's Day

 

Chapter 12: Amy's Day

Amy reached for her iced tea glass and raised it in a toast, “Here’s to Edna and the greatest guild show ever.”

They clinked their glasses and then sat down to finish their chocolate cake.  Of course, eating didn’t halt their animated conversation.  Edna sat smiling, watching quiet Amy come alive.  She was full of ideas, so many of them well thought out.  It occurred to Edna that Joe might have been right, that it might have been a waste to keep Amy at home another year.  But, then again, if they hadn’t she wouldn’t have her help and for that she was grateful.

As the conversation began to wind down, Edna remembered that Amy had mentioned she’d had a big day. 

“So, Amy, what happened today?  I’m afraid I’ve stolen your thunder.  You and your mother were so excited when you got here, something big must have happened.”

“Well, it’s not so much that it was big, it’s more that it was interesting.”  Amy took another sip of iced tea, then began.

“You know I was working at the shop this morning? “

Edna nodded, “Yes”

“When I arrived Sue was there and in her usual tizzy about one thing or the other.  It doesn’t take much to set her off.  I’ve found that the best thing to do is just get out of her way and do what she asks me.”

Mary sighed, she didn’t like her daughter working for that woman but there weren’t many jobs for girls like Amy, and she was determined to make some money of her own.

Amy looked at her mother, “I know, I know.  But the strangest thing is what she was upset about.  Turns out she and Belinda got into a huge fight this morning about something that happened last night.”

Edna looked worried, “That’s not good, Belinda’s the only friend she’s got. 

“Wait until you hear what it was about,” said Mary, smiling.

“I guess they left the guild meeting in a bit of a hurry due to the reception Sue’s idea got from the guild.  She was pretty upset about that.  So, Belinda suggested they walk over to Al’s and get a drink to calm her down. Sue was too upset to even consider going out, so Belinda took her home and headed over to Al’s on her own.”

Edna knew that Belinda was a bit of a “party girl,” at least what passed for one in their little town.

Amy continued.“Well, when she they got there guess who was sitting at the bar?”

Edna had no idea.

“Chuck Barnes from the County Inspector’s office.  He’s the man that inspected the shop the other day.”

Mary piped up, “I guess she was flirting with him in the shop, you know how Belinda is!”

Amy continued, “She was flirting with him and she said something about liking him when he left the shop.”

“That’s not unusual for Belinda,” said Edna. “Of course, what Belinda does is her business. Why would that upset Sue?”

“Last night Belinda insisted that Sue go with her to Al’s. I think she was hoping Mr. Barnes would be there. He was, and Belinda basically abandoned Sue. She says they left together.”

“I’m surprised Sue stayed around long enough to find out.  Why didn’t she just leave?” wondered Edna out loud.

“I wondered that myself, but in the mood she was in I didn’t want to ask,” said Amy, “besides, from the state she was in I suspect she stayed to have another drink or two.”

“She probably sat there fuming and wondering when Belinda would come back from the bar,” Mary said, “then when she realized it wouldn’t be soon, she waited to see what she’d do.”

“Well, if Sue’s anything, she’s curious,” opined Edna, “but, even I can’t believe Belinda just abandoned her.  It just seems out of character.”

“Oh Edna, you and I’ve been off the market for so long we don’t have any idea.  I suspect Belinda saw a chance and went for it.  I really can’t blame her.   Interesting, unattached men of a certain age aren’t easy to come by around here,” said Mary as she reached for a second slice of cake.

Edna was tempted by the cake but decided to forgo.  Besides this turn of events with Belinda didn’t auger well for the success of the show.  If Sue wanted to make things difficult, she could, and she was really good at it.

Amy poured herself another glass of tea, thinking about how much she was enjoying hanging out with Edna and her mother.  She suspected that many girls her age would find it excruciatingly painful, but Amy had accepted long ago that she wasn’t like other girls.  It’s not that she didn’t have friends her own age; she had plenty.  The difference was that she wasn’t obsessed with the same things.  Her girlfriends had a different crush every week, kept begging their parents to take them down to Reno, or even to San Francisco to shop, and they never stopped texting.

Amy cared little for clothes, keeping to her standard jeans and t-shirt when she could, and swapping out a handmade skirt for the jeans when she needed to dress up. When most of her friends went away to college in September, she’d been sad for a few days.  But then she felt a wonderful sense of freedom.  She enjoyed her classes at the junior college, her afternoons doing research at the library, even her long walks with her dog Sadie.  Her job at the Piece of Work was more enjoyable than her mother thought.  Granted, Sue was difficult and sometimes brought her to tears, but she loved working with fabric and helping the customers.

She was excited about the show, and about being treated as an adult by the other women in the guild.  It was a first tentative step out of her self-imposed shell, but as she watched her mother and Edna’s easy rapport, she realized that she wanted to have that level of confidence.

Her mother was the kind of woman who was comfortable everywhere, and more importantly put other people at their ease.  Her personality was more subdued than some, but Amy knew what a quick wit her mother had, and how much patience she exercised in not letting it loose on more people.

Mrs. Chambers, on the other hand, was an entirely different kind of character.  She was kind and generous like her mother, but there was a stubborn streak there that Amy admired.  When everyone had mocked her and Sue had attacked her, Edna stayed true to herself and what she knew was the right path for her.  Now it seems, it had paid off.

“Amy,” her mother said, snapping her out of her reverie, “Tell Edna about Sue’s reaction to the news about the show.”

“Well, I did what you told me and told her that mother was reconsidering the idea and had assigned a few people to do some exploratory work on it.”

Edna leaned forward, “Yes, and then?”

“She seemed pleased and started telling me all about her plans for the way the show would be staged, all in ways that would increase business for the shop.”

Edna grimaced, “I knew that would happen, she thinks this is going to be all about her.  Without Belinda, how are we going to get through this?  I see a nightmare coming.”

“Not necessarily Edna,” said Mary.  “Odds are that she and Belinda will patch things up. I hear they fight all the time.  Besides, Henry pointed out to me that we hold all the cards.  If Sue doesn’t want to cooperate, the guild can contact other quilt stores to set up booths and compete with her.  She’ll have to bend or deal with the consequences.”

Amy slurped up the last of her tea, “I think we should invite other quilt stores to participate.”

Edna and Mary turned to her, stunned.

Amy smiled, “All the other shows have more than one store represented, why shouldn’t we?  Besides, Sue’s stock is so old and out of date, we need some fresh blood to draw more quilters.”

“But, Amy, you work there!  Don’t you have an interest in the store’s success?” Edna had been shocked by Amy’s comments. Were they out of character, or did this girl have more depth than she thought?

“Belinda has been trying to get Sue to do something about the shop forever.  Business is way down and she’s already cut my hours down to mornings a couple of days a week.  She’s hanging on by a thread, and this latest setback is just one more in a long line of them.”

Edna should have been surprised but wasn’t.  People shopped at Sue’s because it was the only place in town, and because they either felt sorry for her, or were too intimidated to go elsewhere.

“But Amy,” said Edna, “wouldn’t the competition put her under once and for all?”

“It’s possible, but it could also save her.”

“How so?”

“Remember when the shelves fell and she had to put a bunch of her stock in her store room?”

“I didn’t know she had, but I suppose she would have had to,” responded Edna.

“Well, Belinda finally convinced her that she needs to have a sale and get rid of her old stock.  Sue was working on marking everything down this morning.”

Edna was shocked by this turn of events, Sue never marked anything down.  “I’m sorry Amy, I’m just not following you.  How does this help Sue?”

“When Sue went home to get lunch, the day the inspector came, Belinda told me about a wonderful idea she had that she was going to talk to Sue about.  The idea is to turn Sue’s shop into a fabric ‘bargain basement’ during the guild show.  They could clear out all of the old stock, and Sue could use the money to upgrade her stock and reopen with a whole new look.”

“… and the larger the crowd the more likely she is to sell out?”

“Exactly!” exclaimed Amy, pleased that Edna saw it the same way she did.

“But wouldn’t the other shops’ booths be hurt by the sale at Sue’s?”

Mary stepped in, “We thought about that too, but they’ll have the new stuff everyone is looking for, and the crowd at Sue’s will feed them and vice-versa.”

Edna sat quietly thinking, it could work, but how to get Sue to agree?

Next: Plan A

Chapter 11: Edna and Amy Put on a Show

Chapter 11: Edna and Amy Put on a Show

Edna reached the kitchen just as Joe walked in with their lunch. He loved the French Dip sandwiches from the diner, and always asked for extra sauce to dip his fries in.  As Edna opened the containers she gave him a disapproving look.

“Joe, you know you aren’t supposed to be eating all of this, and I certainly shouldn’t be either.”

“You’re probably right, but it sure smells good.”  Joe looked at her hopefully.

“Well, I’m not going to throw it out, that’s for sure, so instead let’s split a sandwich, eat half the fries, and I’ll make a salad to go with it.  We can have the other sandwich for dinner tonight.”

Joe looked disappointed, but resigned.  As he went to fetch a couple of diet Cokes, Edna prepared a small salad and divided up the food, wrapping the leftover fries and sandwich in foil before putting it in the fridge.  At least I won’t have to worry about dinner tonight, she thought.

During lunch she told Joe what Janie had said and he was thrilled for her.  “Wow, the cover of a magazine!   I always thought I’d make the cover of Fly Fisherman first, but considering I haven’t caught a decent sized trout in years, it’s a good thing someone in the family’s officially famous.”

When Edna told him about Janie’s interest in the Sims’ family quilts and Amy’s paper he was excited for “sweet little Amy” as he always called her.

“Poor thing’s always been so shy and quiet, but I always thought she was the smartest one of the bunch.  I have to say I didn’t understand why she didn’t go off to college like Joey.  Seems a bit of a waste to me.”  Joe shook his head as he dipped another fry in the gravy.

“The plan was for her to go to the Junior College for a year or two, then off to UNR.  Mary and Henry felt she wasn’t ready to be away from home yet.  Eighteen’s awfully young for a sheltered girl like her to be on her own.”

“Well, Joey’s there, he would have looked after her.  It’s not like she wouldn’t know anybody.  And your sister would love her to death.”

Edna picked at her salad, as usual she’d given Joe the larger portion of sandwich and fries, but she thought it was just as well.  The thought of putting a period costume on her figure made her think twice about every bite.

“Edna,” teased Joe, “are you still with me?”

Edna smiled up at him, “I was just thinking that I’d better lose a few pounds before I try to fit into one of those pioneer dresses.”  Then more pensively, “I’m sure Joey would be very kind to Amy, they’ve known each other their whole lives.  But don’t you think it would be unfair to him?  To ask him to look after her?  After all, this is his first time away from home, he’s going to want to make his own way.”

“You’re probably right, but still I’d like to think I raised him to be the kind of man to look after her anyway.”

“Oh, Joe, you’ve raised him just fine.  I’m sure he’d be as helpful to her as he could be, and Jolene’s always had a soft spot for Amy.  She actually asked me if I’d like to bring her down to do some fabric shopping with us.  You know Jolene and her motherly instincts.”

Well, that was true, thought Joe, Jolene was the kind to pick up any kind of stray, and she loved drawing shy people out of their shells.  Like most sisters, Edna and Jolene were very different kinds of people.  Edna was shy and thoughtful and Jolene wild and willful, and yet when they were together they had so much fun.

“I think I’ll call Mary and see if she and Amy can come over later, I want to tell them about the magazine and I’d rather do it in person than over the phone.”

Joe agreed, besides he knew Edna would bake something if she was having visitors.  A slice of chocolate cake or apple pie would sure go down well after that half sandwich he was going to be having for dinner.

Amy and Mary arrived at the house around 4:00, chattering away at each other as only a mother and daughter could.

Edna was a little jealous of their relationship.  She and Joey were close, but to have a daughter to share everything with would have been wonderful.

“Oh, Mrs. Chambers,” Amy said breathlessly, “what a day I’ve had!”

“Hello Edna,” said Mary cheerfully, “Amy has some tales to tell.”

“Do tell,” Edna said as she led them into her studio.  She’d cleared off the large table so they’d have plenty of space to sit and talk.

“I love this room!” said Amy as they entered.  Edna had hosted several guild meetings and charity sewing events so Amy was familiar with the space.  “I’d absolutely die to have a studio like this,” she went on as her eyes took in the room.

“I don’t know how you keep it so neat, Edna, my sewing room looks like a tornado came through it, I finally had to tie my scissors to my chair so I could find them!”  Mary exclaimed as she took in the clean table and organized fabric stacks.

Edna laughed, “You should have seen it this morning!  I’d love to take credit for being a clean freak but I have a secret,” she opened a floor to ceiling cabinet, revealing wire baskets filled to the brim with her current projects.  “I had Joe build me these, This way I can just sweep a project into a basket and make my studio look clean in a couple of minutes.”

Mary, Amy, and Edna had a good laugh and sat down to share the iced tea, and chocolate cake she’d baked.

“I have some big news that I’ve been dying to share.“  Edna started slowly, she always felt uncomfortable sharing good news about herself.

“Do you remember that quilt I made for the show last year?”

“Do we ever,” said Mary, “it should have won Best of Show in my opinion.”

“Thanks Mary, well as it turned out it’s done even better.”

Mary and Amy leaned towards Edna, “How?” asked Amy expectantly.

“Well, my sister Jolene sent some photos of it into Quilter’s Weekly magazine and it’s going to be on the cover of their June issue.”

Mary and Amy looked at each other, mouths opened wide in surprise.

“Oh, Edna, how fabulous!  I knew you had it in you, “ exclaimed Mary.

Amy grinned from ear to ear, “How exciting!  You must be so thrilled and proud.”

“Thanks, both of you, I have to admit I nearly fell out of my chair when I found out.  But, believe it or not, it gets better.”

“How so?” asked Mary, still trying to take it all in.

Edna turned to Amy, “I told her about your family quilts and she’d love to see some photographs of them.  They’re thinking about doing an article on them.”

“Mary, I told Janie they were pretty fragile so I’d have to make sure you wouldn’t mind them being professionally photographed.  She said the photographers would be very careful not to damage them.”

“Oh Edna, this is so wonderful!  We have the digital pictures Amy took for her presentation, but I’d so love to get some professional photographs done.  The quilts won’t last forever so some great photographs would be wonderful to have.”

“So, you have no objection?”

“None at all.”

“Great!” then Edna turned to Amy again, “Janie also asked me to ask you to send the photographs and your paper to her so she can review them.  She couldn’t be definite about it but it’s possible it could be published.  I have her email address and told her you’d send it to her directly.  Is that OK?”

Amy looked stunned, she loved to write and history was her favorite subject.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an article in a magazine? 

“Of course, I’d love to send it along.  Oh, and I also understand that it may not be published, but what a wonderful opportunity.  Thank you so much for mentioning it to her.”

“OK, ladies, it gets even better,” Edna smiled at them and the expectant look on their faces.

“Turns out, the June issue is the Guild issue, and they’ve been wanting to do an article on a quilt and link it to a quilt guild show.  If all goes as planned, they’ll be sending out a team to photograph and write an article about our show.”

Mary and Amy sat there quietly, absorbing this wonderful, yet daunting news.

“Are you telling us that our little guild’s annual show is going to be featured in a national quilting magazine?”  asked Mary.

“If Janie can get a team to come out here, yes it will happen.  She’ll be able to confirm it with me soon, I just need to get her our show information so she can set things up.”

Amy suddenly squealed in delight.  “Oh Mom, think how great this is and what it will do for the town?”

Jumping up from her seat, Amy started pacing up and down.  “Once the town knows it’s going to be featured in a magazine everyone will get on board.  We could have a parade, some rides for the kids, tons of exhibits and vendors, food booths, games, maybe even get the high school drama club to put on a play.  I’ve got so many ideas, and just think of all the other things we could do, my mind is spinning!”

Mary was enjoying all of this, she loved seeing Amy so animated and happy. 

Edna and Mary exchanged looks, and Edna knew immediately what she should do. 

“Amy,” she said, “I think I’ve found my partner in crime, I’m officially appointing you the co-chair of the show committee.  This is going to be too big of a job for one person and I’m sure the guild president wouldn’t mind. Make yourself comfortable here, because you’re going to be spending a lot of time working in this studio over the next few months.”

“You’re kidding me?  Really?  Oh, Mrs. Chambers I’d love to!  I can’t wait to get started.”

“There’s just one thing Amy, before I hire you on.  You have to stop calling me Mrs. Chambers.  If we’re going to work with each other I’d prefer you call me Edna, like the rest of the committee members.”

“Oh, Edna,” said Amy, trying out the name, “Thank you so much for everything!”

“You’re welcome, and considering all we have to do you’ll repay me 10,000 times by the time we’re through.” Edna was pleased with her decision.  The job would be too big for one person and Amy’s youthful enthusiasm would be welcome.

Mary had been watching all of this unfold.  She started to laugh and said to Edna, “You know what this reminds me of?  Remember those old movies when the kids would put on a show in the barn and it would end up being like a Broadway show with an orchestra and everything?”

“Yes, I do, the ones with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney?  I loved those old movies!”

“Well, watching the two of you I was thinking, here go Amy and Edna, putting on a show!”

 Next:  Amy’s day

  

Chapter 10: Getting Started

 

Chapter 10: Getting Started

Joe and Edna left the Sims’ home with a lot to think about.  Mary wanted to call an emergency meeting of the guild to get things rolling, but Joe convinced her to make sure the town council would approve the idea before taking it further.   There was a council meeting scheduled in less than two weeks, and their idea was to talk privately with the local business community, the chamber of commerce, and anyone they thought would be helpful, or might cause problems.

“Better to smooth those things out before you get too far into the planning,” opined Joe,  ‘Besides, some of these folks might have some great ideas as well.”

So, Amy volunteered to talk to the business owners downtown, and to let Sue know that her  mother was looking into the viability of her plan.  Joe would work his magic on his friends and connections in town, particularly on his father’s old friend Jack Jensen, who’d been collecting old tractors for years.

Edna asked Amy to help her with her part of the project, namely working on the overall look and feel of the event.  Edna was developing her own “vision” of the event, but could see that Amy had a lot to offer.  Together they’d be a formidable team.

Mary would work on putting together the committee, contacting possible members and feeling them out about the idea.  She would also work with Edna, Joe, and Amy on the presentation they’d need to give to the town council.  Henry was 100% on board and offered to feel out the council members before the meeting.

Edna and Joe arrived home exhausted, but exhilarated.  Joe couldn’t wait to get started so he jumped in the truck and headed out to old Jensen’s place, offering to pick up lunch on his way back.

Edna was glad not to have to think about cooking.  Her mind was spinning, and along with all of her thoughts about the show, she was wondering if her quilt had arrived safely.  FedEx had picked it up the day before so it should have been there by now.  She wished she had Janie’s phone number or email address. 

Since Joe would be gone for a while she decided to tackle sorting and cutting her fabrics for her show quilt.  It would be difficult to finish it in time, with everything else going on.  She was tempted to set it aside.  I probably don’t need the stress, she thought, but she knew she couldn’t resist working with the fabrics in front of her.  Oh, heck, she thought, I’ll get it started, and finish it too!  I’ll need something to take my mind off things.

Edna hadn’t been working for more than ten minutes before the phone rang.  This time  she found it quickly and was relieved to hear Janie’s cheerful voice.

“Hi Edna, it’s Janie from Quilter’s Weekly!”

“Hi Janie, I’m so glad you called, I was starting to wonder if you’d received my quilt in one piece.”

Oh, Edna, I have it right here and it is gorgeous!  Even more beautiful than the picture your sister sent.  The photographer and art director were just here and they both think it has to be our cover quilt!”

Edna had been tensely standing the whole time, and now she sat down.  She’d known it was a possibility but she’d already convinced herself it wouldn’t happen.

“Are you sure?” she said tentatively.

“Of course I’m sure!  I don’t think you know how talented you are.  Seriously, Edna, this is the best quilt I’ve seen in a long time.  The workmanship is phenomenal and I love that it’s  hand quilted, we’ve had too many machine quilted quilts lately.  It really is a gallery quality piece.” 

Janie certainly sounded enthusiastic, and Edna felt herself relax.  It would be wonderful to have her quilt on the cover, she thought, I suppose I should just enjoy it.

“Now Edna, I can confidently say that we are going to do an article on you as well.  The consensus is that you have such a unique vision that you’re the kind of quilter we want to feature in our magazine.  Are you still having your guild show in April?”

“Actually  Janie, you don’t know how wonderful this is.” said Edna, as she went on to explain her guild’s tentative plans.

“Edna, that sounds fabulous!  Do you think the Sims family would let us photograph their quilts?” Janie sounded more excited.

“They’re very delicate, but I’m sure if the photographer knows how to handle them so they aren’t damaged they’d consider it.  Oh, and Amy Sims wrote a wonderful paper for the guild about their history, I’m sure she’d be happy to share it with you.”  It occurred to Edna that Amy’s paper would make an excellent article.

Janie seemed to think the same thing.  “I’d love to read her paper, and see what photos they have, could you email them to me?”

“I’ll talk to Mary and Amy this evening and get back to you in a day or two. Also,”  Edna hesitated, “is all of this definite enough for me to share with my guild?”

“As far as I’m concerned it is, but we’d better wait and make sure I’ll have a team to send in April.  Let me know as soon as you confirm your dates, and then I’ll get back to you.”

As Edna hung up the phone she heard Joe’s truck drive up.  She realized she was hungry and was glad she wouldn’t have to wait to eat.

Next:  Amy and Edna Put on a Show

 

Chapter 9: Amy's Ideas

 Chapter 9: Amy's Ideas

Joe didn’t sleep very well that night.  Edna was tossing and turning in her sleep, and he could tell she wasn’t herself.  Mary’s idea of making Edna head of the show committee might have been a good one politically, but he could see that the next few months weren’t going to be easy.

When Edna finally settled in and slept soundly it was nearly dawn.  Joe had given up on sleep and lay in bed racking his brain, trying to come up with some way to make Edna’s job easier. Finally, he decided there was no point staying in bed and quietly got up and got dressed.

He wasn’t much help around the house.  He could make coffee and heat up a can of soup, but he was the first one to admit that his mother and Edna had spoiled him.  In many ways, he was typical of the men of his generation.  Raised to be a breadwinner, not a bread baker, he counted on Edna for just about everything. 

Over the years she’d tried to get him to be more self-sufficient.  He remembered the cooking lessons she’d given him before Joey was born.  She wanted to make sure he could take care of himself if something happened to her, but although he tried to be attentive, he usually wandered off to do something else.  It embarrassed him now, that he hadn’t taken her more seriously, but he knew Edna knew him better than he knew himself.  He was terrified that something really would happen to her so he avoided the lessons, convincing himself that he wouldn’t need them.  It wasn’t until after Joey was born he found out that she had several of the local women on call to check on him, and a freezer full of casseroles just in case.

Now he had a chance to do something for her.  He was determined to help but didn’t know how.  Shaking his head in frustration, he stepped out on the porch to pick up the paper and then headed into the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker.  He smiled as he did it, grateful that Edna always filled the machine the night before.  Ever since they bought their first Mr. Coffee years ago, she’d always had it set up so all he had to do was push the button.  It was like all the other things she did for him, so much of which he took for granted.

With Joey away at college she had more time for herself, and his inheritance meant he had more time too.  Joe’s confidence grew as he thought of all of the things he could do.  He was the one who’d designed the hanging system they’d used for the quilts at the fairgrounds.  They might be able to use part of the system, but he knew he’d have to make adjustments to make it work in the old five and dime.  Moving the show downtown meant that there would be a whole lot of work that would need to be done, and he was probably the best in town at figuring things out.  He was also friends with just about everybody in town, maybe he could set up his own committee.  If they were going to put something on at the fairgrounds, (and God knows what that will be, he thought!), there’d be plenty of work to share.

He’d just finished his second cup when he heard Edna moving around upstairs.  It was only 7am, and he knew she hadn’t slept for more than a few hours.

“Good Morning Joe,” said Edna cheerfully as she entered the kitchen, pausing to give him a peck on the cheek.  “Wonderful!  Hot coffee!  Gee, I really need a cup.”

Edna filled her cup and poured in a little of the French Vanilla creamer she’d gotten out of the fridge. 

“Rough night?”

“I’m sorry if I woke you, I just kept thinking about the committee and then when I fell asleep I dreamt about it.  What a nightmare!”  Edna blew the heat off her coffee, took a sip and sighed.  

“I guess there’s no way you can get out of this?”

“I gave my word, and besides, Mary is right, I am the only choice that makes sense.  Actually, I think the work might be kind of fun, you know how I love to plan things.”

Joe nodded in agreement, Edna was great at getting things organized.

“I’m more worried about the personalities involved.  Sue’s the main problem, but I think Belinda will help with that.  It’s more dealing with everybody’s little quirks.  Everyone has them and I’ve been able to work around them for most of my life.  Now I’m going to have to figure out how to plan this thing without everyone ending up hating me.”

Edna got up and put on a pot of oatmeal, and while she was cooking and they were eating they discussed what they’d both been thinking about.  She loved his idea of getting the town together to help, and a central committee would be a great way to keep things organized. 

“It’ll be a lot of work, Joe, are you sure you want to get so involved?”

“I think we can manage just fine, and besides it will be fun to work together on something so important for the whole town.  Who knows, we may end up being local heroes.”

Edna laughed, “Or we may have to move!”

It was nine on the dot when Joe pulled up to Mary’s house.  Edna had planned to go on her own but decided to bring Joe along since he was so willing to help.

Mary met them at the door and only hesitated a moment when she saw Joe.

“Good Morning Mary, I’ve brought Joe along, he’s volunteered to get help get the town organized.”

Mary and Joe greeted each other and Mary smiled at him.  “Thank goodness!  I tried to convince Henry but he wanted nothing to do with it.  You’re a brave soul, Joe Chambers!”

The Sims’ lived in what had once been the grandest house in town.  The family had been the major landowners in the area but over the years their holdings had shrunk, and the depression had pretty much done them in.  Fortunately, Mary’s father-in-law had finished his law degree so they were able to keep going, and when he became a judge he was able to send his son off to school as well.  Now Henry Sims was a judge in the municipal court and the family still lived in the old house.

Mary was an excellent housekeeper and clever as well, but nothing could hide the fact that the floors needed to be refinished and the foundation was crumbling in places.   Joe didn’t think it was a matter of money, after all Henry made a good living.  It was more like he’d gotten used to things the way they were.  Joe’d had many a late night call when a pipe burst or something that could have been avoided with a little maintenance finally broke down.

Amy was waiting for them in the dining room with a pot of hot coffee and some freshly baked muffins.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Chambers, I hope it wasn’t inconvenient for you to come over so early?”

“Miss Amy, we’re old folks, we’ve been up for hours already!” Joe sat down and immediately reached for a muffin while Amy poured the coffee.

“Edna, I’m so glad you agreed to this.  It’s not going to be easy but if we can get the whole town on board you’ll have plenty of help.” Mary seemed relieved when Edna smiled back at her.  “Amy, tell them your idea.”

“Well, I got to thinking about the history of quilting,” she turned to Edna, “I remembered how much you enjoyed my presentation, so I thought we could make this into a historical themed event.  You know, like a pioneer day celebration?”

Edna and Joe reacted immediately, “That’s a great idea!” they said in unison.

Mary spoke up, “I thought if we could find a good safe spot we could show off our family quilts, and the quilts of other area families.  They all have such wonderful stories.”

“We could dress up in period clothing,” Edna thought out loud, and turning to Joe, “Just think, we could use the fairgrounds and get everyone to show off their antique tractors and farm equipment, and set up booths with period games…”

“This is a great idea, Amy!  With the right publicity we could draw a huge crowd, maybe even make it a two day event. I like the idea of a pioneer celebration, even non-quilters will come. If we can get enough old tractors to show, there's a whole lot of folks that would make the trip just to see them. We could even have a tractor parade!" Joe’s mind was racing, there'd be a lot to do, but it would be well worth it.

Next:  Getting Started

Chapter 8: Strange Bedfellows

 

Chapter 8: Strange Bedfellows

After joining in the post meeting clean up, Edna made her way out to the truck where Joe was waiting.

“Sorry if you had to wait, I was helping clean up.” Edna said as she climbed in.

“No problem, I’m just glad to see you’re in one piece.  Any wounds I should know about?”

”Actually, Sue never even spoke to me.  Turns out there was a more important turn of events.” 

Joe was turning onto the road that led out to their house, switching on the high beams so he could avoid creating any more roadkill.  Only the  main roads had lights, so the trip out to the house in the dark took longer than usual.

“What do you mean turn of events?” asked Joe.  He was relieved that Edna was OK but that didn’t mean this turn was a good thing.

“Well, Sue actually had a good idea for a change,” and Edna proceeded to fill Joe in on the evening’s events.

She’d just finished when he pulled up to the house.  “Wow,” he said, ”that must have been some meeting!”

“It was eventful, as guild meetings go, and Sue didn’t leave in the best of moods.”

“She’ll pull it off, though, won’t she?” said Joe, as he hung his jacket up on one of the hooks near the door.

“Mary seems to think so.  And, actually, both Mary and I think it’s a great idea.  It would help the downtown district a lot, and I can’t imagine any of the merchants on the road in or out of town minding it either.”

Joe nodded in agreement.

“There is one thing though, Mary and I were talking about the quilters' families and since she’s tentatively reserved the fairgrounds, our thought was that it would be great if the town could could come up with some kind of event that they might enjoy.”

Edna looked at Joe hopefully as the put his head down and shook it in his I know I’m getting into something I don’t want to get into but I know I’m going to end up doing it anyway way.

“Mary said she’d ask Henry to help, maybe you guys could bring it up at your next quilt widowers night at Al’s?”

Joe smiled and put his arm around Edna, “Anything for you sweetie, but don’t expect too much from us old farts, thinking about events at the fairgrounds is not how we usually spend our evenings out.”

The next morning Joe took Edna over to Niman to pick up the shipping supplies.  A FedEx truck came to their town frequently, but the nearest place for supplies was Niman.  It’d been a while since they’d been to the City  as they liked to call the slightly larger hamlet about 35 miles away.  They did most of their shopping in their own community, (except fabric shopping, of course!), but if they had to go to Niman they might as well look around.  

After picking up the shipping supplies, they headed downtown to have a big breakfast at their favorite restaurant.  By the time they’d finished, the shops were all open and they spent an hour or so looking around.  Joe spent most of his time at the local hardware store where they had a healthy selection of tools and fishing supplies.  Edna headed over to Bernice’s Boutique, where she’d had luck finding some fashionable clothes for her unfashionable figure.

Edna loved Bernice!  She was always so cheerful and helpful, and knew just what kind of things she liked.  Edna was thrilled to find some cute tops and skirts on the clearance rack, just what she’d need for the guild show.  She’d been worried about getting her picture taken for the magazine, but was less so after purchasing her finds. 

She then went into the local five and dime, one of the few still in business.  It was more like an old style general store, with glass jars full of penny candy, (although they were  more like dollar candy now!), and aisles full of things you didn’t really need, but oh, wouldn’t they be handy to have?  Edna headed right for the buttons and sewing supplies.  They still had the older style mother-of-pearl buttons on cards, and the prices were great.  Edna suspected that someone many years ago had bought too many of the things and the only ones they sold were the ones Edna bought on her trips to town.  She picked up some great variegated floss, more bobbins, and some good basic sewing thread. 

Edna particularly loved the wedding decorations and dime toy aisles.  So many cute little things that could be stitched onto her quilts!  She picked up a few odds and ends, and after purchasing a pound of black jelly beans, left the store with a large bag of goodies.

By the time they arrived back home it was getting late and they were both hungry.  As Edna set about putting some lunch together the phone rang. 

“Edna?” said a familiar voice.  It was Mary Sims.

“Hi Mary” answered Edna, “How are you?”

“Oh Edna, I’m just fine.  I just had the most wonderful idea and I wanted to share it with you to see what you thought.”

“Sure, Mary, what is it?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about Sue’s idea and although I think it would be great for the town, I think we’ll have more resistance than I thought.”

She paused for a moment, “You see, the thing is, I got several calls this morning from guild members who have made it very clear they want nothing to do with anything that involves Sue in a prominent position.  Remember what a disaster she made of that fundraiser we did a couple of years ago?”

Edna remembered it well.  Sue had decided that the best way to raise funds for the guild was to give out discount coupons for her shop.  If you bought something she’d give 10% of the purchase price to the guild.  However, before the event began she raised all of her prices 10% so essentially she wasn’t giving the guild anything and the shoppers left in disgust.

That was the beginning of the end of Sue’s preeminence in the local quilting community  She still had her groupies, but her reputation was sliding rapidly downhill. 

Mary continued, “Well, anyway, I was talking to a few other members and they thought that if someone else was in charge that things would go smoother, and Sue’s influence over events would be less toxic.”

Edna spoke up. “That might be true Mary, but if the show’s downtown and we’re going to use Sue’s shop, won’t it be impossible to keep her out of things?”

“Not if we don’t use her shop.”

Edna was stunned, “But Mary, I know how Sue can be, but that isn’t fair is it?  How can we not have the only quilt shop in town represented at the show, particularly since it’s right downtown?”

“I’m not saying she can’t participate, but I don’t think the guild wants to be 100% associated with the Piece of Work.  If we used her classroom we’d be beholden to her in ways we might not want to be.”

Edna thought for a moment, “So, what you’re thinking is that the show will be downtown with all the merchants participating equally?”

Mary exhaled, “Exactly!”

“But how are you going to get Sue to accept this?  You know she’s going to raise holy hell.”

“Of course she will, but she’ll get over it.  The fact is that the show downtown benefits her whether it’s in her shop or not, she’ll still do better than usual business.”

“That’s true,” said Edna, “but who are you going to get to organize it?  No one’s going to want to be Sue’s new punching bag.”

“Of course, we’ll have a committee and hand out tasks to different members.  Whoever’s organizing will be the chairperson of the committee, they’ll hand out the assignments and make sure everything is on schedule.”

Edna wasn’t convinced, “It sounds good, but won’t Sue do what she always does?  Rig the election so she wins?”

“Not in this case.  I’ve discovered a loophole in our by-laws that will allow me to appoint the chairperson.  Turns out the president has that authority but no one’s ever used it.”  Mary seemed pleased with herself.

“So, as guild president I appoint you as the chairperson of the new Downtown Quilt Extravaganza.”

Edna gasped, “No, Mary, are you kidding?  I couldn’t, I just couldn’t.”

“Oh yes you can, and you will.  The fact is this show won’t happen unless I can put someone in the chairperson’s position that everyone knows isn’t in Sue’s back pocket.  Besides, Edna, you know everyone in town and everybody likes you.”

Edna sighed in resignation, she didn’t want this job but she knew Mary was right, she was probably the only person in town that everyone knew for a fact was no great friend of Sue’s.

“Sue isn’t going to like this, Mary.  She’ll feel like she’s being ganged up on and as paranoid as she is, this time she wouldn’t be far off the mark.”

Mary laughed, “You’re right about that, but I have one trick up my sleeve, I’m going to put Belinda on the committee.”

“Now that’s brilliant, Mary you’re beginning to scare me.  Since when have you become so politically savvy?”

“I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea, it was Amy.”

“Amy?” said Edna, “I guess if there’s anyone in a position to know what might put Sue into a better frame of mind it’d be her.”

“At first I was resistant, but then I thought, why not?  Belinda’s fairly well liked, she has great connections, can be very charming, and although she’s Sue’s friend, she looks out for herself pretty well.”

Edna chimed in, “and if Belinda’s on the committee, Sue will think she has a voice, even if she really doesn’t.”

“Exactly.  I’ve worked on committees with Belinda before and she’s actually very clever and reasonable.  She can promote Sue’s ideas, but if they fall flat she can just blame it on the other committee members.”

“Or me!” exclaimed Edna, who was actually becoming intrigued by the idea.  She actually liked Belinda when they’d worked together on other projects.  Although she was Sue’s friend, she was perfectly capable of acting in her own best interest.

“So, Edna, does that mean you’ll do it?” Mary asked hopefully.

 “I guess I don’t really have a choice.  I can count on your support, can’t I?”

“Of course, can you come over for coffee tomorrow morning and we can talk this out?  Is 9:00 too early?  Amy doesn’t have to go to work until 10 and she has some ideas she’d like to run past you.”

“I’ll see you then, and thanks Mary, although I may end up regretting this.”

Edna hung up the phone, went back into the kitchen and started preparing lunch.  Joe sat quietly at the table, but Edna could feel his eyes boring into her back.  She turned to face him.

“What have you gotten yourself into, girl?  It’s not like Mary to call for a chat, something’s going on.  What is it?”

Edna sat down at the table and explained Mary’s offer to make her the chairperson of the show committee.  Joe shook his head, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m not, but Mary’s convinced me it’s for the good of the guild and the town.  How could I say no?  Besides, with Belinda on the committee Sue will be soothed somewhat.”

“Maybe so, but it will make for very strange bedfellows, you and Belinda, with Sue in the background.  All I can say is good luck!”

Edna smiled at him and laughed, “I’m going to need it!”

 

Next:  Amy’s Ideas

Chapter 7: The Guild Meeting From Hell

 

Chapter 7: The Guild Meeting from Hell

The Pleasant Valley Guild meetings were held in the Presbyterian church downtown.  The pastor’s wife was a member, and it worked out well because they could use the parsonage next door to make the coffee and heat the water for tea. 

The church was nearly a hundred years old, but the social hall had been built in the fifties.  As usual, there were about fifty members present.  The guild had about 75 members but many of them lived too far out to attend all the meetings, and some were invalids who couldn’t leave their homes but still wanted to show their quilts.

Edna took her usual place in the front on the left and her diner mates sat nearby.  She always sat up front because she liked to see the quilts up close, and it was too noisy towards the back where the coffee and tea station was set up.  There seemed to be more excitement in the hall than usual, and Edna noticed a few glares directed at her, but not as many as she expected to see.

Of course, Sue held court on the right side of the room, with her “groupies” nearby.  She’d been anticipating Sue being in full attack mode but soon realized that she didn’t even seem to notice she was there.  Belinda and Sue were talking excitedly to Mary Sims, Amy’s mother and the guild president.  Mary was nodding, but not smiling.  Edna got the idea that whatever they were telling her might not be good.  Was it about her?  Were they finally going to succeed in driving her out?

Not long after, the meeting was called to order.  The guild secretary read the minutes from the last meeting, and then made a few announcements.  The night’s agenda was supposed to begin with a short paper on the history of the quilts of the Sims family that Amy had been slaving over for weeks.   However, when Amy got up to speak, Sue beat her to the podium and said that she had a very important topic to discuss that necessitated taking Amy’s paper off the agenda.

Mary pounded her gavel.  “Sue, sit down.  I told you you’d have your chance at the end of the meeting.  Amy, please continue.”

Sue glared at Amy, who simpered, and Mary, who glared back, and then huffily resumed her seat.  Amy was terribly uncomfortable and near tears.  When she started to put her papers on the podium they fell onto the floor, scattering everywhere.  Edna got up and went over to help her pick them up, and as she handed them to her she put her hand on her arm and very quietly said, “It’s OK Amy, you’re going to be great”

Amy turned to the group of waiting ladies, asked for the lights to be turned off and began showing her slides and presenting her paper. 

Edna was fascinated.  All of the time it took to make those beautiful things!  How wonderful the Sims family still had them.  She smiled up at Amy, who was doing so well.  Her voice was clear and strong, and her paper well written.  Edna had always had a soft spot for little Amy Sims and for a while fantasized about Joey and her getting married and having her grandchildren.  Not much chance of that with Joey off at UNR and Amy here under the thumb of both her mother and Sue.  Besides, neither of them had ever shown even the slightest interest in each other….oh well.

Although Edna was enjoying Amy’s presentation, she was beginning to regret the patty melt.  Usually she had a cast iron stomach, but when she got nervous it was the first thing affected.  That, and the low grade fevers she sometimes ran when under stress.  Joe said her tummy was a barometer; when it was OK things were OK, but when it got irritable it wasn’t a good sign.

Edna knew that Sue had tried to get her kicked out of the guild on several occasions.  The attempts may have been serious on her part, but the rest of the guild refused to go along.  Edna had her own group of friends, and then there were those who didn’t care for Sue for their own reasons, along with those who thought it was a little too much to toss someone from a quilt guild.  Besides, Sue never had a good reason, and her attempts to spread gossip and innuendo went nowhere.  Edna had lived in their town her whole life and most of the members had known her as long.  It was hard for them to believe that Edna was other than the friendly well-meaning person she appeared to be.

However, whenever Sue was involved in anything Edna flinched.  She wasn’t afraid of Sue, not really.   As she’d gotten older she realized that Sue was really not capable of following through on her nefarious schemes.  It occurred to Edna that Sue had been blocked at every pass.  She must have been as frustrated on her end as Edna was on hers.

Amy finished her presentation to generous applause, and the lights were turned on.  Sue jumped out of her seat again, but Mary Sims put her hand out to stop her and continued on with the agenda as written.   Discussion began on the annual show raffle quilt.  The head of the committee used the slide projector again to show some options.  A motion was made to vote on the final design in the next meeting and set up a schedule so everyone could help.  Every year their quilt was machine pieced and hand quilted, and although there was a long arm machine quilter in the guild, (who volunteered to quilt it every year), the older members balked.  It wasn’t that they hated the look of the machine quilting, it was more that they enjoyed the bi-weekly quilting bees with the requisite snacks, (and on cold winter nights a little nip of something special in the coffee).

Finally, after show and tell, Mary took the podium and recognized Sue’s request for an opportunity to address the guild.

Sue rushed up, pasted on her most effective smile, and began.

“Ladies, I know that every year we hold our guild show at the fairgrounds.  However, since the show is a big draw and we get hundreds of visitors, I thought it might be time to consider a more central location.”

The room was silent, but active.  Heads were bobbing “Yes” or nodding “No.”  Some sat in stunned silence, while others opened their mouths as if to speak, only to realize nothing was coming out.

Sue continued.  “As you know the old dime store location has been empty for some time now.  Belinda has contacted Mr. Jennings and he’s willing to let us use the space for free as long as we leave it as we found it.”

“Now, as some of you may have heard, I’ve had to make some alterations to my own store. I’ve had to rearrange my stock, but in so doing, realized that I have a ton of wall space to use for quilt displays.  The guild could also use my classroom, which has all of the electrical outlets we’d need for at least a dozen machines.”

“Today I spoke with a few of the businesses on Main Street and they’re excited about the increase in business we could bring them, and Belinda has already contacted the town council about what permits would be required.”

“Of course, we will need to form a committee to work on the arrangements, but we believe this would be an opportunity for our town to draw a larger crowd and spread the revenue throughout the community.”

Sue stopped speaking and looked around the room, she didn’t like what she saw.  No one seemed in the least excited about the plan.  As a matter of fact, they were looking quite glum.  Surprisingly, the only one who seemed to be favorable to the plan was Edna, who was smiling and shaking her head in the affirmative.

“I don’t like this at all,” said Alma Jansen as she rose from her chair.  “We’ve had the show at the fairgrounds as long as I can remember and they’ve always done well by us.  Why should we change?  It doesn’t seem fair to them.”

“I’m with you,” piped up Jennie Wilding, “Sounds like Sue here is just trying to bring more custom to her shop, at our expense.”

Several women rose, also dissenting.   Sue was stunned.  She assumed that everyone would see the beauty of her plan.  “What exactly is the problem?” she said, “Having the show downtown would be good for the town,  it’s got nothing to do with my business, I always draw more during the show regardless.”

Belinda rose, “I think it’s a wonderful idea!  It could do so much for the town, and with the economy the way it is, the merchants need our help.”

Mary Sims had been sitting quietly, thinking things over in her head.  When she stood up all eyes rested on her.

“It’s an interesting idea, but it’s hard to make a dramatic change like this.”  She turned to Sue, “If you can come up with a concrete plan on how this will work, and make sure that our friends at the fairgrounds aren’t adversely affected, I’d consider allowing you to make a presentation at the next meeting.”

“In the meantime, those of you opposed can also present your reasons, and we can have a vote.”  Mary returned to the podium, and pounded her gavel.  “This meeting is closed.”

Immediately there was an uproar.  Members met in groups, some gossiping, some irate, and a few even excited about the possibility.  As they descended on the refreshment table  the conversation grew heated, particularly between Sue and Alma, whose family owned a service station on the road to the fairgrounds.  When Sue ascribed her negative reaction to her possible decrease in business, Alma turned on her.

“This is all about you, isn’t it Sue Walters?  Everything is always all about you!”  At this, Alma turned and left, leaving her half eaten donut and still hot coffee behind.

Sue turned to face a crowd of shocked, silent faces. “What are you looking at?” she spat out at them. 

Belinda was at her side immediately.  Taking her by the arm she moved her quickly outside, “This isn’t the way to get what you want Sue, you’re going to have to calm down.”

Edna had been standing apart, enjoying her coffee and donut.  She found it amusing that of all the people in the guild, including Sue’s groupies, she was one of the few that liked Sue’s idea.  It would be good for the town to move the show, and perhaps they could find something else to have at the fairgrounds that weekend, something the men would like.  She always felt sorry for the men from out-of-town whose wives dragged them to the quilt show every year.  If there was something in town for them to do, that would be a bonus.

As she finished her last bite she noticed Amy and her mother over at the slide projector, pulling out trays and putting things away.

“Amy,” she said as she walked towards them.  “I loved your presentation!  The quilts were beautiful, and the stories!  You did a wonderful job.”

Amy beamed, she never understood why Sue hated Edna so much, she thought she was one of the nicest women in town.  She was also Joey’s mom, on whom she’d had a crush most of her life.

“Thank you Mrs. Chambers. You got me off to a good start with your kind words.”

Edna smiled at her while Mary spoke, “Thanks so much Edna, poor Amy got put off her game by Sue, “ Mary pulled her daughter close, “but she did just fine after all.”

“Well, I certainly enjoyed it.  I’d love to see the original quilts one day if I could, I understand why you didn’t bring them in, some of them must be very fragile.”

“Some of them are in terrible condition.  Such a shame considering all the work those women put into them.  But, I guess that’s what will happen to all of our quilts one day.  They don’t last forever.”

“So true, Mary, so true,” Edna looked around to discover the place was nearly deserted.  There were a few ladies putting things away and Edna turned to join them when Mary gently grabbed her arm.

“Amy, can you help Mrs. Chestnut with the chairs, she seems to be struggling.”

“Sure, Mom.  Thanks again Mrs. Chambers!” she said as she walked away.

“Edna, dear, please have a seat over here,” she pointed to one of the fixed benches against the wall.

Mary sat down next to her and sighed.  “I’m really in a quandary about this show situation.  Just this afternoon I confirmed the dates with the fairgrounds. I haven’t signed any contracts or made any deposits yet, but I’d feel just awful if I had to go back on my word.” 

“Oh, Mary, I’m sure they’d understand.  Besides, from the reaction tonight it doesn’t look like Sue’s plan will be approved anyway.”

Mary patted Edna’s hand, “If anyone knows what Sue is capable of, it’s you.  She’ll have the votes.   You can bet on it.”

Edna looked down at her hands, “Mary, you know how things have been with Sue and me all these years, but believe it or not, I think her idea’s a good one.”

“Really?  I thought I was the only one who thought so.”  Both ladies laughed.

“Well, even Sue has a good idea once in a while.  But it doesn’t take away my dilemma with the fairgrounds.” 

Edna could see how upset Mary was, she was as honest as the day was long and the thought of having given her word and then not following through was very hard for her.

“You know Mary, Joe and I have been talking about something for years.  The families of the guild members keep themselves busy and out of our way just fine, but Joe’s always felt sorry for some of the out-of-town visitors. Maybe the rest of the town can come up with some kind of show of their own, to make it more attractive for the quilters to bring their families along.  If we could get the dealership to loan us a couple of vans we could run them to and from the fairgrounds.”

“That’s a marvelous idea!  This town could use a boost, and a bunch of visitors with money to spend would be a huge help. You talk to Joe and I’ll talk to my Henry, they’re bound to come up with something.”

“Yes, and we can make Sue and the fairgrounds happy.  Wouldn’t that be something?”

 Next:  Strange Bedfellows