This is the first book in the Oma Quilt Me a Tale series. Ten-year-old Magdalena Schmidt travels from Germany to America in 1891 with her family and best friend Nina. She will learn to quilt and embroider along the journey. They are wanting to leave because of all the hardships in Germany at that time. The cholera outbreak, economic hardships, and freedom of religion. They will endure danger along the way, by sea, by land, and from Indians, but with freedom comes a homestead in Nebraska near the Elkhorn River. She will learn about a hidden mystery in the patchwork of her family.