Christmas truck and tree

I saw this idea on a pillow from Kohls as well as on the internet.  I decided to draft my own pattern of the idea.  I made this pillow from fabric used in my Berry Wreath quilt as well as the stockings I made for Christmas 2017.  I am gifting this to my sister Susie, for whom I made a Star of the Magi Christmas stocking with this fabric. 

Snowman family quilt

My daughter gave me a vintage window several years ago.  This year I decided to make a snowman quilt to place behind the window.  I wanted it to look like a family of snowmen were looking in. 
At one of my quilt guild meetings, someone had placed on the free table, a pattern featuring and mom and dad snowman with a child.  This was perfect for what I wanted to make.  I modified the size to fit my window.  The window has a metal fence at the bottom and I placed a wreath there for now.  I might eventually make something else to fit this area. 
When I asked my 4 year old grandson Hudson, what name we should give the little boy snowman, he promptly replied "Hudson."  I may put this window in his room when he visits at Christmas.  For right now I like it on the mantel behind all my handmade family stockings. 

Berry Wreath

Berry Wreath Quilt

My quilt guild has a free table every meeting.  At the last meeting, I picked up a copy of Fons and Porter Love of Quilting, Issue December 2011.  The cover displayed the Berry Wreath quilt and I decided to make it this year for Christmas.  I try to make at least one new item each year.

When I lived in California, my church quilting ministry was given a set of fabric that had already been cut into strips and had a pattern with it.  The fabric was Christmasy and we usually didn't make any holiday theme quilts.  So we decided not to use it but to either give it to someone else or one of us could have it.  I liked the fabric so I took it home with me.  I decided to see if this fabric would work for the Berry Wreath, and to my delight, there was enough fabric to make the quilt.  I never did like the original pattern that the giver of the fabric had planned for it.  Last year I made three Christmas stockings out of this set of fabrics, so I was happy to be able to use it for something I wanted to make.  The only fabric I needed to purchase was the background fabric for the applique blocks.

The quilt measures 61 inches square.  I machine pieced and appliqued the blocks.  I also machine quilted it on my domestic machine, using both a walking foot and free motion.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Close-up of applique block

Close-up of pieced block

Close-up of border

Quilt displayed at Christmas