I got the idea for this tradition from my friend, Amberlyn Wood. I fell in love with the description of her Christmas Quilt Tradition and with my own family heritage of quilting, I felt it was one I couldn't pass up. You can see her past Christmas quilts and the description of her family's tradition
here.
As I was discussing my plans for starting this tradition with my sister, Shan'l, the idea kind of evolved into a Christmas Service Quilt. Starting December 1 (in the future, because this year I didn't finish till a week later), I will start by choosing a family member to serve. After I have performed an act of service towards them, I will lay the quilt on their bed. They will get to sleep with it that night, and then the next day they will choose a family member to serve, and thus the quilt will be passed along each day throughout December all the while keeping service at the forefront of our minds.
I will make a new quilt each year until I feel I have plenty. Although each quilt will have it's own theme and color scheme, I wanted the first one to represent the Nativity to remind my children that when we serve other people, we are actually serving Him. I found my focus fabric last year after Christmas, and the design kind of evolved from there. I designed it to represent the journey to the Stable with the white blocks representing stepping stones along the pathway. Starting from the bottom, the first large square is the Wise men following the star, then moving up, the Shepherds and the angels, and finally at the top, we reach the stable where Christ was Born.
I also think this will be a good opportunity for me to actually learn to quilt. I've been mostly successful just winging it, but I've never done it right. I learned something this year about color and contrast, and found that I need to learn how to stretch the quilt properly (despite my efforts, I still must have done something wrong) so to avoid puckering and tucks on the backside. I'm sure there will be more to learn each year, and I look forward to that journey, as well.
As we serve each other within our home, may we develop unity, may our love for each other deepen, may my children feel a sense of belonging, and may our testimony of Jesus Christ and His love for us grow.
