Linda Davis's local fabric shop is a place where women gather to share their creations: wedding quilts, baby quilts, memorial quilts, each bound tight with dreams, hopes and yearnings.

Now, as her only child readies for college, Linda is torn between excitement for Molly and heartache for herself. Who will she be when she is no longer needed in her role as mom?

As mother and daughter embark on a cross-country road trip to move Molly into her dorm, Linda pieces together the scraps that make up Molly's young life --- the hem of a christening gown, a snippet from a Halloween costume. And in the stitching of each bit of fabric, Linda discovers that the memories of a shared journey can come together in a way that will keep them both warm in the years to come.…

Susan Wiggs has told this intimate and yet universal story with elegance, wit and warmth. There's real wisdom here, and an honesty that makes it memorable. The ability to quilt or knit is a gift that brings the quilter or knitter comfort, peace, a chance to meditate and remember --- and it creates an object of beauty. For me, Susan's story has done all of this, too." — #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

2. Aside from the obvious (the unoccupied room in the house!), how does a mother's life change when a grown child leaves home?

3. Once the kids are out of the house, is it possible for a couple to replicate the relationship they had before they'd come along, or do they have to negotiate something different?

4. Do you feel it's important to mark life's milestones with something concrete? How do you do it in your family? What did you think of how the quilt itself ended up in this story?

5. What are the pros and cons of sending a kid to a local school versus out-of-state and far away? What opportunities does each offer, and what opportunities are missed?

6. Linda has a very intense reaction to letting her only child go. What about her character feeds this intensity?

7. Do we project our own ambitions onto our kids? How do we avoid doing this, or, if we must, is there a healthy way of doing it?

8. Is there any way to help your child avoid making the mistakes you made? Why or why not?

9. If you could send your child out into the world with only ONE piece of advice from you, what would that advice be?