The Runaway Quilt

Alerted that her family may have had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia searches her attic for her great-grandmother's quilt, a log cabin with black central squares that, according to legend, was a sign of sanctuary to escaping slaves. She also discovers the memoir of her great-grandfather's spinster sister, Gerda Bergstrom. Gerda's record of the tumultuous years between 1853 and 1859 reveals not only the founding of Elm Creek Manor, but also a Pennsylvania farming community divided by the issue of slavery. As Sylvia stitches together the disparate pieces of her past, she uncovers family discord, betrayal, and a long-held secret. With the help of the Elm Creek Quilters and the clues in her ancestors' quilts, Sylvia grapples with hard truths in coming to terms with her family's past.