Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing by KATHY CANO-MURILLO Page B

you sign up? JoAnn Fabrics is about fifteen minutes away, and they have an excellent series of classes, lots of patterns. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted you’re here. But if you’re less than thrilled with the free-form idea, maybe you should try there. I promise I won’t be offended.”
    Mary Theresa bit her lip and nodded her head, obviously annoyed to the earth’s end. “I have my reasons to stay. I just want to know if I should bring my self-healing mat and rotary cutting set.”
    Scarlet smiled affectionately. Mary Theresa would be her pet student, she could feel it. “We’ll have some patterns, but not the traditional type you’d pull out of a Simplicity envelope. And no fancy tools. Miss Scarlet teaches old-school.”
    “That’s insane,” Mary Theresa blurted. “I used to be an A+ sewer in high school, and there is no way to make anything that fits or functions without double measurements, patterns developed by professionals, and proper pinning. Please tell me we are going to pin! What’s next, are we going to use needles or pull the thread through with our teeth?”
    The class broke out in a fit of giggles, even though Mary Theresa didn’t mean it to be funny.
    Scarlet put her hand on Mary Theresa’s sewing machine. “Trust me, it will be fun. And yes, darling. Of course we will pin. And use needles. But no rulers.”
    Mary Theresa’s mouth fell open in shock as Scarlet hopped off the desk and strolled down the center aisle between the two rows of tables.
    “I’m going to teach all of you how to use your hands, arms, feet, and even the size of your head to measure. As for patterns, we’ll use everyday objects and learn how to size them without tools. This is how I learned. Granted, I also know the traditional methods, but it’s much more fun this way. Just wait and see, Mary Theresa. The best part is I’ll share anecdotes about Daisy de la Flora’s life that will inspire you so much!”
    “Let me get this straight,” Olivia said. “She’s Johnny Scissors’s mom, right?”
    “Aunt,” Scarlet corrected.
    “I see you’re wearing one of her brooches; it looks darling on you,” said the final student, a woman who had to be a bit younger than Nana Eleanor.
    Scarlet dipped her chin and rubbed the rhinestone Chihuahua pin with her fingers. “Thank you. It’s my good-luck charm. I can’t believe you recognized it. You must be a fan of hers too.”
    “I was at one time,” she replied in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat. “I’m Rosa Garcia, the granny of the group, I see. Miss Scarlet, do you think you could bring Daisy’s lucky buttons next week to show us?”
    “Hmmm,” Scarlet said, thinking hard. “I have them locked in my Daisy display curio. I don’t feel comfortable removing them. But I do have pictures of them on my blog.”
    “That’s fine, I understand, dear,” Rosa said as a raspy cough made its way out. She grabbed a tissue and covered her mouth. “Sorry. My throat is dry this morning. Didn’t have time to take my usual teaspoon of honey.”
    Scarlet jogged to a table that had a pitcher of water, poured a glass for the woman, and took it back to her. “So what’s your pattern, my fellow Daisy-phile?”
    The woman nodded thanks, took a sip, and waited until itpassed through her throat. She scanned the room and acknowledged each person with a shy smile.
    The room fell silent with a hint of enchantment.
    “I have a pattern for a life that I love. My goal is to preserve it to the best of my ability. I lived a very adventuresome life—lots of traveling, meeting all kinds of eccentric and beautiful people. I’m too tired to continue all of that. I love to make things, always have. Miss Scarlet, I’m also impressed by your blog. It’s such a gift to people everywhere. When I read that you were teaching this class, I immediately signed up. I’m thrilled to see what you have in store for us.”
    “Thank you, Rosa, I’ll do my best,” Scarlet said. She