“Meow?”

I remember that there was a time in my life when I used to sleep in. But that was before I adopted Baby Lobster from the local shelter. To be fair, my cat DID save my life recently, but I can’t help but wish she liked to sleep as much as I do.

“Here you go,” I tell her, as I pour out the cat food into her bowl. My little calico cat tilts her head as if to say, “Thanks, but don’t be late tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say back to her look.

Our one-sided conversation in the kitchen has woken up Charlie, my rescue dog, so I pour out his breakfast as well. The day has officially started. As I rummage through my closet full of me-made dresses, I think through the to-do list for the day. The first thing is breakfast.

I settle on my latest make, an Essential Shirt from Topstitch that I have hacked into a dress by adding to big rectangles. The fabric, a new favorite, is sumptuous rayon from Ruby Star Society, a black background covered in little plus marks in pink, green, white, and yellow. Throwing my tangled brown hair up in a bun, I clip Charlie’s leash to his collar, and we set out for his morning walk.

Peridot, Georgia sparkles in the morning sunshine. Charlie leads the way, pulling me through the quaint square that dominates downtown Peridot. Since it is only 7am, none of the shops are open, but Charlie knows that PeriDOUGH bakery and café will be. He also knows that the owner will have a treat for him while I go and order my usual coffee and donut to take on our walk.

The bakery is busy. Later, it will be full of day-trippers up from Atlanta and other parts of Georgia, but this early, it is full of locals.

“Lydia, is that the new Ruby Star?” I hear, as I pay for my “Festive Apple” donut, the flavor of the day and bursting with the taste of local apples.

“Yep!” I answer Cynde, taking a little spin, careful not to spill my coffee.

I look outside and see that Charlie has already gotten his treat and is ready to go. Cynde follows my gaze.

“Can I join you and Charlie on your morning rounds?” Cynde asks, smiling and pouring her own mug of coffee into a go-to cup.

“We’d love it.”

Outside, Cynde takes another moment to appreciate my latest creation as we pause outside the fabric shop, Measure Twice. Not the fabric shop, my fabric shop. I still could barely believe the previous owner, and my close friend, Fran has sold me the shop. When I had left Atlanta, heartbroken and lost, Fran took me in and made me feel at home at Measure Twice. Now, I own the store.

Cynde and I take a moment to look at the window display. One side is full of new and classic quilting cottons, which was the main stock of the store under Fran. But the other side showcases new rayons, drapey, soft linens, and packets of patterns from new and independent garment designers. Measure Twice still honors Fran’s vision, but now it showcases mine, as dwell. I can feel tears of happiness well up, so I shake my head and eat another bite of my donut.

There is inventory to take and spreadsheets to balance, but for now, I turn to my friend and make a little toast gesture with my coffee. It is about to be a beautiful day.

Seams Deadly, A Measure Twice Sewing Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

When sewist Lydia Barnes finds a dead body soon after moving to a new town, she will need more than shear luck to find the killer, in this novel perfect for fans of Molly MacRae and Anna Gerard.

Lydia Barnes is excited for a fresh start when she moves to the quaint mountain town of Peridot, Georgia. Her friend, Fran, offers her a job at the Measure Twice fabric store and even sets her up on a date with the handsome Brandon Ivey, who also happens to be Lydia’s new next-door neighbor. Finally, things are looking up. But after a disaster first date that ends with a fist bump instead of a kiss, Lydia doesn’t think her night can get any worse. She’s soon proven wrong when she later stumbles upon Brandon’s dead body.

Considered the prime suspect by the police, Lydia calls on her friends to help her hunt for the truth and prove her innocence. But when another body is soon found inside the Measure Twice store, Lydia knows that the killer must be close by, and that this town has more than its fair share of secrets. Who would want to frame the newest addition to Peridot for these terrible murders—and why?

Lydia may discover that while sewing might have a pattern, killing rarely does. Will she be able to stitch together the clues and clear her own name before the killer strikes again?

Meet the author
Maggie Bailey is an enthusiastic sewist and maker who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. A graduate of Stanford, Oxford, Brown, and Sewanee Universities, she has previously published two collections of poetry. Her first cozy mystery, Seams Deadly, the first installment of the Measure Twice Sewing Mystery Series from Crooked Lane Books, debuted on September 5th and is available everywhere books are sold. When not reading or sewing, she spends time with her husband, two young children, and their two goofy golden retrievers.