She didn't know quite what to say so she simply smiled, Milo's breath warming her ear with his words. "I know I do."

"Mr. Wentworth, come see! They have a Pocahontas costume, too." Lulu's excited little voice carried across the room, causing more than a few smiles to turn in her direction.

"Do you mind?" he asked, as he held the index finger of his right hand in the little girl's direction.

"Not at all. I think I'd like to just stand here a moment and soak it all in."

"Soak away." Milo touched a gentle hand to the small of Tori's back as he stepped around her and headed toward the costume trunk.

Tori inhaled slowly, allowing her senses to soak up everything about this night. The sights, the sounds, the smells. All of it.

"You've done us outsiders proud, dear."

She turned toward the door once again, the familiar voice as much a sense of comfort as it had been her first week in Sweet Briar.

"Good evening, Leona." Tori gestured over her shoulder. "Investigator McGuire is over there somewhere."

The woman shifted a large gift bag from one hand to the other, her chin nudged upward. "I suppose he is, dear. But I'm not here for him. I'm here for you . . . or rather . . . to apologize to you."

"Apologize?"

"Lesson number four . . ."

Tori held up her hand. "Actually it's lesson five."

Leona's eyebrows rose upward in an upside-down V. "I thought for sure we'd stopped at three."

"We did. I just added one I learned along the way." Tori eyed the package suspiciously, its size and apparent weight making a costume out of the question. Even one that could be slapped together with peel and stick Velcro by a non-sewer like Leona.

"And what lesson would that be, dear?"

"Some questions are actually statements."

Leona rolled her eyes and handed the bag to Tori. "That's a Rose-ism. It's not a lesson."

"Oh." She stared down at the bag, suddenly unsure of what to say or do. "So what's lesson number four?"

"Apologies must always be accompanied by-"

"Wait! I know this!" She glanced across at Margaret Louise as the woman acted out the part of Ma to Lulu's Laura. "Pie recipes!"

Leona simply tapped her foot, her eyes narrowing in disgust. "I leave you alone for two weeks . . . two weeks and look what happens."

"Can I open it?" Tori asked, her lips trembling.

"Must that be a lesson, too, Victoria?"

"Nah, I think I've got that one." She set the bag on the ground and parted the handles, the tears she'd been holding back all evening finally trickling down her face. "Oh, Leona, you shouldn't have." Tori pulled the wooden sewing box with the horse and buggy carving from the bag and held it close, memories of her childhood tugging at her heart.

"Which brings us to the correct version of lesson four-apologies must be accompanied by something special." Leona lifted the empty bag from the ground and folded it quickly. "And since I couldn't give you to yourself, I picked the next best thing."

"I'm not sure that's a real lesson, Leona."

"It should be."

She swiped at the tears that wet her cheeks, hoped no one in the room noticed. "I miss your lessons."

"Then we must pick up where we left off."

"Can I teach you something?"

Leona offered a dainty shrug. "Like what? How to make-lemonade?"

Tori shook her head. "I was thinking more along the lines of sewing lessons."

"Why on earth would I want to learn how to sew?"

"Um, maybe because you're in a sewing circle, Leona?"

Leona waved her hand in the air, an amused smile teasing her lips. "Oh. Yes. Well, I suppose I may have overlooked that reason."

"That's it," Tori said as she tucked the wooden sewing box under one arm and linked the other around Leona's. "You, my friend, are going to learn how to sew."

Sewing Tips.

(As shared by readers of the Gatherings Forum* on ThreadsMagazine.com.).

Even if you don't sew, it's a good idea to have a pair of sharp scissors designated for fabric, ribbon, and thread. Cutting paper can dull your scissors. Tie a piece of ribbon to the handle as a reminder that they are only for fabric so they will remain sharp.

Wishing you could sew while traveling by plane but discouraged by the "no scissors" policy? A package of dental floss can be an easy solution as it works great for cutting thread!

If you scorch wool fabric by using an iron that is too hot, rub a nickel on the scorch mark. Be careful to use a clean nickel on light-colored fabrics.

To avoid seam imprints on the right side of the fabric, place a strip of brown paper bag between the seam allowance and the garment before pressing.

Anticipate how many bobbins you'll need for a project and wind them in advance. This will eliminate the annoyance of having to stop midseam to rethread your machine.

Keep sharp tools to the right side of your sewing machine so you do not snag the fabric.

Stack your pattern pieces in order of use, after they have been cut out.

Do not put a hot light directly over your sewing machine as it can cause the grease and oil to dry out and freeze up the machine.

Put all the notions, thread, trims, and pre-wound bobbins in a storage baggie for each project so you do not have to stop and search for them.

Have a sewing tip you'd like to share with readers?

Stop by my website, www.elizabethlynncasey.com.

and let me know.

*Any reliance upon any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed or distributed through the [Gatherings Forum] is at your sole risk. You acknowledge and agree that Taunton Interactive, Inc., is not responsible for any materials posted by users of the [Gatherings Forum].

Sewing Pattern.

Interested in making a pillow similar to Tori's?

An Envelope Flap Pillow Experience: Some sewing experience needed.

Materials: 14" pillow form or 12 ounce bag of fiberfill

yard of 45" fabric

Thread

Sewing machine with zipper foot

Sharp scissors

Chalk or marking pencil

Yardstick

Straight pins

Premade piping.

Paper.

Decorative button or other embellishment, optional.

Directions:.

Cut two panels of fabric measuring 15" x 15" each.

Create a pattern for the envelope flap by cutting a 16" x 8" paper rectangle. Find and mark the center point of one long side. Then draw straight lines from that center point to each corner on the opposite side of the rectangle. Cut off the excess paper.

Use your paper pattern to cut two triangles of fabric. Pin triangles with right sides together. Sew (" seam allowance) along the two bottom (shorter) sides of the triangle. Clip the corner. Turn right sides out. Press.

Baste the flap to the top of one of the fabric panels-right side to right side-and machine stitch into place.

Baste piping to right side of the other panel of fabric. Using a zipper foot, machine stitch into place.

With right sides of fabric together, pin front and back panels, sew around all sides, leaving a large opening at the bottom for inserting the pillow form. Clip corners. Turn right sides out. Press.