Norah Lofts "How Far to Bethlehem?" I really enjoyed this.
"Alice's Tulips". I can't remember who wrote it but I really liked it. It is the story of a girl from Illinois who marries a man from a western state. He takes her home and promptly leaves her on the farm, with his mother, to go fight in the civil war. She gets involved locally sewing and quilting for the troops.
Lots of good suggestions on this thread, thanks for starting it.