Long ago, when Aunt Pinny was small, she wanted a garden. but it was winter and she was ill, so she has to have a special sort of garden, a garden of silk and velvet and lace, all sewn into a wonderful patchwork quilt.Each patch has a story to tell. The red velvet brings back memories of the fancy dress ball, where Pinny had a midnight feast with a highwayman, and the green brocade with the blue dragons reminds her of Captain Tramplemousse, the pirate. Then there's the stripey patch from a zebra and a piece of lace from a haunted dress, and many more, all with tales from an enchanted childhood in a bygone age.