"Help me find a binding,” Connie said. She held scraps from her quilt in her left hand and used her right one to drape cloth from the bolts over them.

Her offering would be in the art category. The upper right corner had irregularly shaped pieces stitched together in increasingly larger segments as they approached the center panel. The bottom left was a base of hand-dyed fabric with an abstract floral applique that flowed up toward the center and overlapped the pieced area. Connie's color palate was a warm one. This design had orange peel as the base color with pistachio, dusty mauve, peach and toffee shades as the accent. It would be a challenge to find a binding color that wouldn't distract the eye from the central pattern.

Sarah Ness arrived as they returned to the classroom; her cheap, designer knock-off perfume preceded her into the space. Mavis sneezed. Connie had decided to bind with a fabric that echoed the color in her hand-dye and gone to the cutting area with Marjory.

"Harriet,” Sarah said. “I've been trying to call you."

"I haven't gotten any messages,” Harriet said. “When did you call?"

"I've been calling all morning,” she said.

It would be pointless to state the obvious, so Harriet moved on to what she was pretty sure was coming.

"What did you want?"

"I need my quilt stitched,” she replied. “I have to have it bound and back to you by Thursday to take to the show, so I guess you'll have to do it this afternoon."

"Do you have it with you?” Harriet asked.

"I have the top in the car and I'm going to stitch the backing together while we're here."

"You're cutting it a little close, aren't you?” Mavis asked. “You know, Harriet might have someone else scheduled this afternoon."

"Well, do you?” Sarah demanded.

"This afternoon will be fine,” Harriet assured her. “As long as I have it in my hands when I walk out of here."

Mavis shook her head and turned away to press a seam.