Scarlet was a short-timer, a quilt top nabbed for a song, given a few quick repairs, and finished up. I make no secret that I keep an eye on the auctions for used quilt tops; mostly I look to see what's out there, and very very rarely I'm moved to pick one up.

She -- and this quilt top was a 'she' from the start -- just delighted me from the start. It was lovely, imperfect, and utterly without pretense; it was a hand-sewn quilt top in the log cabin variation known as "straight furrows."