Season's Greetings + MyπŸŽ„Gifts to YOU! 🎁


Some Christmas πŸŽ„Sewing + My Gifts to YOU!🎁

"Twas the Saturday before Christmas" and MANY things are stirring around our house. πŸ˜… Kids are home for the holidays, I still have pretty much 100% of my gift wrapping to do, but the cards were finally put in the mail yesterday and I *think* I'm done with shopping other than last minute groceries next week. *fingers crossed*

How are things going in your neck of the woods?

The Quilts of Christmas Past

This week I had fun taking a little stroll down memory lane πŸŽ…πŸΌβœ¨πŸ§΅ looking back at some of the Quilts of Christmas Past (way better than ghosts, if you ask me. πŸ˜‰).

Nothing better for making a Christmas house feel cozy than a Christmas quilt or two. Or more... πŸ˜… These quilts were made over a 2 decade span! Some of these quilts have been gifted to others, some are the ones we use year after year.

How many Christmas quilts at your house?

Click below to see the round up of the ones I've made over the years.


Last Minute Handmade Gift Ideas

Need any last minute gift ideas? Every project on the list is a free tutorial for gifts you can make with fabric you've already got on hand!

The list includes:

Bags, Boxes, Aprons, Pillows, Hot Pads & Kitchen Gifts

There's a variety of project ideas for lots of people on your list. Most of these come together quickly.

Click the button to see the full list + links to all of the projects. Done with this year's gifts? Pin the post and save it for next year!

One of my favorite quick, handmade gifts are these reusable pocket handwarmers. Stick them in the microwave to heat quick before heading out on a cold morning. They're also great for using up scraps of favorite flannel fabrics. (These scraps came from one of the Red and Black plaid flannel quilts I've made.)


Fabric Gift Bags in ANY Size

Need to do some last minute gift-wrapping? Check out this super easy tutorial for making your own reusable, lined fabric, gift bags.

For an even easier version of a fabric drawstring bag made from Fat Quarters (this one is not lined) check out this tutorial:


Fun Finds on the Web: Last minute Christmas printables

Are you gifting a quilt this year? Here are a few options for free printable tags and Care Cards to choose from. You can easily print and include with your gift:

Looking for adorable gift tags? Check out these beautiful 2025 Free Printable Gift Tags from Amy Sinibaldi of Nana Company

Looking for Christmas coloring pages to keep the kids busy, or beautiful Christmas art for a last minute gift? I've put together a big list of Christmas Printables (most of them free!) on this Pinterest Board.

​This Nativity video has become one of our family's favorites over the past years. If you're looking for a way to feel the religious spirit of the season, this 18-minute video is a sweet watch. (The reaction of the Wiseman at the end gets me every time.)


MyπŸŽ„Gifts to You! 🎁

As we begin to wrap up 2025, I want to thank you so much for your support of and encouragement to me this past year. It was made better by each of you who take the time to stop by and visit or create with my patterns or fabric. I always love hearing from you and seeing what you've made.

Every year I give away a free pattern PDF to my newsletter subscribers only, as a token of my gratitude for being here.

This year the pattern is called Granny Smith - it's a scrappy quilt perfect for using 2 1/2" precuts and comes with instructions for Throw, Twin, Queen and King sizes.

You can get the free PDF Pattern here: Granny Smith Quilt Pattern ​

I'd also like to give you $5.00 off any one pattern in my Shop. Use the code MERRY2025 at check-out. This one-time code is good before the end of 2025.


Finally, for those who celebrate Christian traditions during the season, I wanted to share one of my favorite paintings in recent years. This painting by Jenedy Paige is called Little Lamb and includes some subtle history of women's hand-stitched work. From Jenedy's description of the painting:

"I came upon an article of archeologist, Jeffrey R. Chadwick... [who] worked in Israel as a researcher and field archaeologist for over thirty years, specializing in the backgrounds of biblical narratives... [The research shows that] while we often think of β€œswaddling bands” as scraps of fabric, showing the poverty of Mary and Joseph, they were actually a big part of Israelite culture. When a young woman was betrothed she immediately began embroidering swaddling bands, which were 5-6” wide strips of linen that would be embroidered with symbols of the ancestry of the bride and groom. Thus the bands symbolized the coming together of the two families as one... These bands were then wrapped around the hands of the couple at the wedding ceremony. So the bands the Savior was swaddled in may have included the lion of Judah and the stem of Jesse."

As someone who loves and relates to lovingly-made, handstiched items in preparation for a new baby, I love the though that in ancient Judea, mothers were doing the same thing thousands of years ago that many of us do today.

And I love how the artist portrayed that detail in this painting. There's more symbolism to this painting - go here if you want to read Jenedy's full description.​

Thank you again for stopping by! I hope that your holidays are full of warm spirits and new memories!

Most likely along the way there will also be some burned food, a strand of lights that inexplicably goes out, a puking kid, too much sugar, new clothes that don't fit, hurt feelings, or something (or someone) that didn't show up on time. That seems to be part of Christmas too.

One particularly crazy year when my house was full of busy little kids, I wrote about Imperfectly Perfect Christmases here. And the sentiment still rings true: don't let the sweet moments of kindness, love, and grace be missed or overshadowed by inevitable frustrations or disappointments.

Thank you again for the encouragement, kind words, and support you show me in this spot. I love connecting with all of you other quilt-lovers all over the world!

Seasons Greetings from my house to yours! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyous Kwanzaa! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward all.

Whatever way you are celebrating this season, I’m sending much love and best wishes for you and your loved ones from my house to yours. ❀️

xo,

Amy

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​Visit my Pattern Shop to see all of the favorite Christmas designs

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Diary of a Quilter

Hello! I'm Amy Smart. Subscribe for weekly emails with free quilt tutorials, seasonal projects, sewing room organization tips, and new content every week! Join 70,000+ other quilters! πŸ’Œ

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