heirloom quilt snowman

Some of my earliest and dearest memories are of my grandmother's house. I loved to be there. It seems that it was always bustling with happy people and fun. There were cousins to play with and beds to jump on (not allowed but shamelessly done) And quilts galore to make forts with. Often there was a quilt "on" (a frame to be quilted) and that meant even better fun when we were allowed to play under the work being done by busy hands above. The products of those quilting bees covered the beds in our home and warmed me at night. I was shocked when I became aware that not everybody had quilts - what did they sleep under then?! 

My Aunt Carma made this wonderful snowman out of the tattered remains of my Grandma Bradshaw's wedding quilt - the quilt that was made for her when she was a new bride in 1931. It is one of my most treasured Christmas decorations and a very special keepsake. The fabric in the quilt is threadbare and fragile. I was one of the lucky few to get a snowman because there was so little usable material. Every year when I unwrap the tissue paper from her (it must be a her because what respectable snowman wears pink? and it is from my grandmother) I think it is such a cool thing to have made with that well-loved and much used quilt, and I am grateful that Aunt Carma thought to do so instead of discarding it as a used up old thing. Every stitch on her is by hand - the old and the newer. My snowman's hat comes off, and her twig arms come out (one has gone missing). She is adored by my grandkids and treasured by me.

Even if you don't have an heirloom or vintage quilt to use, it would be a simple and fun project to make.

December 8 is counted down with this sweet treasure.