Whittled, Woven, and Wrapped in Western Love

by

The Fillies welcome Laura Ashwood and her fun post about handmade Christmas gifts in time’s past. Don’t miss her giveaway further down. 

Whittled, Woven, and Wrapped in Western Love

Can you feel it? That crispness in the air that whispers of winter and the festive times just around the corner. It’s got me all wrapped up in thoughts of those simple, heartfelt holidays of yesteryear. You know, the kind where every gift had a touch of personal charm because it was made by hand, with love woven into every fiber and stitch, along with a sprinkle of family tradition. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the art of homemade gifts that might have been crafted by the characters we adore.

Picture a cozy homestead, the fireplace crackling as a family gathers to celebrate the season. There, on the mantle, rests a hand-quilted throw, each patch a different color, each thread a different memory. Quilting was more than a pastime; it was a way to tell a story, a way to keep a family’s history alive. A mother might have spent months stitching together a quilt for her daughter or daughter-in-law – a symbol of her love and prayers for warmth and comfort in the years to come.

In the kitchen, the scent of cinnamon and sugar mingles with the earthy smell of pine. Jars of preserves line the shelves, each one filled with the fruits of summer’s labor. These jars are not just food; they’re a reminder of sunny days and the laughter that echoed through the fields as families worked side by side. Gifting a jar of homemade jam or pickles was like sharing a piece of the summer gone by, a sweet taste of the past to savor during the long winter months.

And how about the simple yet profound act of candle making? In a time when electric lights were a novelty, candles were a necessity. Making candles from beeswax or tallow was a way to ensure that the light of the family’s love would continue to shine, even on the darkest nights.

Not all gifts were practical, of course. Some were purely for the joy they brought. A father might whittle a small toy for his child, creating it from a piece of wood with his own hands, imagining the smile it would bring to his little one’s face. Or a young man might pen a poem for the girl who had captured his heart, pouring his feelings onto the page in the hope that his words might convey what he may not have had the courage to speak out loud.

In those times, every gift told a story, every gift was a prayer. They were tokens of affection, crafted not just with hands but with hearts full of love and hope. As we look for ways to share our love with those dear to us this holiday season, perhaps we can take inspiration from the past. Maybe we can find joy in the simple act of creating something with our own hands, something that says, “I love you,” in a way that words or a store-bought gift never could.

In my own book, A Groom for Ruby, Ruby has opened her heart and home to an orphaned child name Everett. Everett has never experienced the joys of Christmas. As Ruby shares As Ruby shares Bible stories with him, Everett becomes captivated by the tale of Noah’s ark. Moved by Everett’s wonder, Cullen, with skilled hands and a generous heart, crafts a miniature ark complete with hand-whittled animals, creating not just a gift, but a cherished memory.

I’d love to give one of you a signed paperback copy of A Groom for Ruby. Simply leave a comment and tell me the most memorable gift you have either made or received. I can’t wait to hear your stories.

 

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S6YBQPM?tag=pettpist-20/

Website: http://www.lauraashwood.com

+ posts

55 thoughts on “Whittled, Woven, and Wrapped in Western Love”

  1. The quilts my grandma gave me are the most precious things I own. She also gave me her original wedding ring, and I wear it with mine.

  2. My mother made me a beautiful, hand-appliqued quilt in a morning glory pattern that she designed one year for Christmas. I can’t even imagine the many hours it took her. I’m not entering the contest. because I bought and read A Groom for Ruby and thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave it a five-star review too.

    • Hi Janice, what a great keepsake, and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed Ruby’s story. Thank you so much <3

  3. My family loves receiving a quilt, the hand-made soap i make or any of the jams or jellies I can, We all prefer what we call gifts from the heart.

    • Hi Rhonda, that’s wonderful that you can make so many different things. What great gifts for your family. 🙂

  5. Howdy and welcome Laura! I love to make gifts and receive homemade gifts. I’ve received many over the years. From quilts my family has made me to drawings my children have made. I still have a framed art piece my daughter made in high school. She says it was awful, I think it’s beautiful! It’s a pen and ink of sea shells. I grew up in a family of crafters. You name it and they have probably done it! LOL

    By the way, I’ve read all the The Blizzard Brides! Great series.

  6. This is a hard one for me my most precious gift is God’s salvation. My second is my twin sister who.
    is now in heaven, but I will see her again. A homemade gift would be an Afghan my grandmother made for me and my sister.

  7. The most wonderful gift I’ve received was to be healed from breast cancer. To have my faith increased to know Christ more personally is a treasure deep within my heart. And, to live to enjoy my family and grandchildren. Material things are fun – but treasures important in my heart are not earthly things anymore. I’m thankful to have learned that in my life. Happy Thanksgiving and may you have a blessed Christmas season. Enjoyed your blog today. Thank you for coming.

    • Hi Kathy, thank you so much for the lovely comment. Those heart treasures truly are the most important and congratulations on your healing. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving too.

  8. 1 year someone bought baby dolls for my granddaughters. One of my daughters crochet an outfit for each doll and I made quilts for the dolls. Another daughter made sun dresses for the girls and the girls also received knitted hats that another daughter had made them. That was the first and last year all of us made the gifts. I now only make quilted projects for 1 or 2 grandchildren a year – either a lap quilt or a bag.

  9. I have received a lot of memorable gifts over the years but I think the best one would have to be a queen sized Trip Around the World quilt top my grandmother made. She planned to complete the quilt as a gift to my parents but she passed away before it could be completed. My mother had the quilt top and gave it to me since I love quilts so much. The quilt is complete with the exception of the binding which I plan to do myself. My grandmother used whatever she had handy, old clothes included, to create her pieces. Thank you for the chance to win a book prize.

    • Hi Vickie, that is truly a memorable gift and I’m so glad you have it. Thank you for taking the time to share!

  10. One thing I received that still means a lot to me was a set of keys to my parents’ car. I was the only one of the four of us girls to ever get our own set, and I actually had sets to two of their cars! One of the most memorable gifts I ever gave was to my Mom. Quite a few years after my Daddy passed, Mom was put on coumadin, and needed to wear a medic alert bracelet. Mom HATED that big chunky thing! So, for Christmas I bought her a medic alert bracelet that was smaller, made of white gold, and had the same exact information on it. She wore that bracelet for many years, until it became too big for her wrist (she was in her 90’s) and she didn’t want me to have it made smaller. I still have that bracelet. I also have a ring I bought for my Daddy one year, and the watch I bought for him, too. Definitely keepsakes!!

  11. I have made a dress for an aunt at Christmas, also aprons at various times. I have crocheted 2 baby ensembles which contained a fancy blanket along with a sweater and bonnet for 2 expected grand daughters. I have received homemade items such as a birdhouse from a co-worker, a wire tree with golden leaves swinging from the branches from another co-worker. Another co-worker gave me multiple crocheted Christmas ornaments. As a Christian, my most precious gift was my saving Grace from my Lord and Savior, for which I will be forever thankful, as well as my husband who brought me closer to JESUS. We just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last week. I am truly blessed.

  12. Good morning, I have received many handmade gifts from different family members and I have also made some, they are always so special and very memorable. The best gifts I have ever received was when I was 7 years old my mom had our youngest little sister on the 23 of December, well the Doctor let her and our baby sister come home the next day so that they could be home with the rest of the family for Christmas, that was so very , very Special. Another special gift has been our son, he was born on December 28th so he was 3 days after Christmas but I did have a stocking hung up for him for Christmas . Have a Great weekend. Your book sounds and looks like a great read.

  13. My father was a very creative man who built up a business by himself. He was also an artist when he had time to devote to this hobby. He sculpted the most amazing soapstone pieces from a block. I have a majestic head which is sitting on the credenza which was in my parents house. This I will keep forever and then give my son and hope he treasures this gift.

  14. When I give a gift I give it from the heart. The gift is meaningful and should be cherished. I create a beautiful basket filled with baked goods, soothing items for winter and hope that the recipient enjoys it as much I as I did creating it.

  15. I love to do all of the needle arts. i have made home made Christmas gifts of crocheted afghans, embroidered dish towels, various machine sewed items and stuffed toys. Colorful aprons, stuffed pillows with colorful tops, and dresses .

  16. The first Christmas my hubby and I celebrated after we were married we didn’t have money for gifts. I made a lot of different kinds of cookies and homemade bread and gave big plates of cookies and a loaf of homemade bread to everyone. My one uncle on my dad’s side told me in no uncertain terms we could not come to see him at his CPA office unless I brought homemade cookies with me.

  18. I absolutely love homemade gifts. All the time and love the giver puts into making them makes them so Precious! A lady who substitute taught at my school and I became good friends. She made me a knitted wool winter pocketbook with 2 matching small bags to hold cosmetics and change. I have had it now for 12 years and still cherish it as my favorite surprise Christmas gift.?

  19. I absolutely love homemade gifts. All the time and love the giver puts into making them makes them so Precious! A lady who substitute taught at my school and I became good friends. She made me a knitted wool winter pocketbook with 2 matching small bags to hold cosmetics and change. I have had it now for 12 years and still cherish it as my favorite surprise Christmas gift.?

  20. My favorite gift was given to me by my husband a few years ago for Christmas. It was a Little Free Library and he gave me books to put in it too. We put it up in our front yard and I keep it stocked with books for adults and children.

  21. For Christmas one year my great-grandmother gave me a Bible with my name engraved on the cover. It was lost at some point over the years, but had become threadbare and mostly a keepsake. It was my first well-used Bible and truly one of my greatest gifts.

  22. One year I made afghans to give as gifts. Another year, I cross stitched and quilted some lap quilts. I have also sewed sequins and beads on calendars as gifts. It has been a few years since I made any gifts. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

  23. My grandmother used to do a lot of knitting. She tried to teach me years ago, but I was never really able to the hang of it. She knitted a lot of blankets and sweaters, and we still have a quite a few of them to remember her by.

  24. I haven’t actually made it yet, but I just purchased some yarn today to crochet a pillow for my youngest niece. She and my next youngest nieces (twins) love getting handmade gifts from me. I mostly crochet them, but I’ve also made some simple beaded necklaces for them and I think I made each of them a little cat. Alice specifically asked for the pillow last year, but things got so crazy that I wasn’t able to get to it then.

  25. Welcome today. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. I have made quilts for weddings and for new babies in the family. I made one for my son. Both he and his fiancé were civil war reenactors at one time.

  26. Welcome Laura, Thank you for sharing such a wonderful post! I have a Quilt my Aunt had made years ago and I passed it on too my Daughter.

  27. When I was growing up I always looked forward to Christmas gifts from my grandmother because they were always something that she had made like a blouse or a skirt. They were special.

  28. Hi Laura, Welcome to P&P. The gifts my grandparents gave me over the years were lots of love & homecooked food. My parents also did a lot of homemade gifts, clothes that my mother sewed & all her wonderful recipes…her fudge was to die for. My father & his family were farmers, so we learned how to feed, plant & give back to nature & help others. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!!!

  29. One year my husband and I built a detailed two story doll house for our daughters. We got pebbles for the chimney and fireplace. We cut tongue depressors using the rounded ends for roof shingles and the main part for siding. One year I did pillows of the initials of . That was 3 pillows for each of all our 12 nieces and nephews. Another year I did cross stitch embroidered pictures featuring their first name initial with a child’s figure. Another year, I made stuffed animals for them all. I have always done jellies and loves of bread for friends and family.
    I can’t imagine how I got so much done with two young children at home and several volunteer commitments. We are empty nesters and I can’t seem to get nearly as much accomplished.

  30. Quilts were also the way a young girl learned different stitches. I have a jacket either made by my grandmother or given to her that is made up of different small blocks of material with different stitches between the blocks.

    One year for Christmas, I hand-sewed and or knitted a wardrobe for my daughter’s Barbie doll.

  33. I live homemade items and have many treasures. My mother crocheted and I and my boys each have two pillows she crocheted the cases. I have a side table that belonged to my mother-in-law that my mother made the table cloth for and my sister-in-law crocheted the cloth to cover the tablecloth for it. So many memories!

  36. It’s so long ago that I don’t recall if these gifts were birthday, Christmas or just because my grandmother was so generous: she was a lifelong knitter and knit me several outfits (they were dresses in the 1960’s) for my Barbie doll. If you knit, you can imagine how painstaking that must’ve been, using tiny needles!

Comments are closed.