num_pages: 448
description: A heartwarming rendition of how Christmas traditions at Elm Creek Manor were createdand embellishedover generations.When Christmas Eve comes to Elm Creek Manor the tenor of the holiday is far from certain. Sylvia Bergstrom Compson the Master Quilter has her own reasons for preferring a quiet even subdued Christmas. Her young friend Sarah McClure however takes the opposite view and decides to deck the halls brightly. As she explores the trunks packed with Bergstrom family decorations that haven't been touched in more than fifty years Sarah discovers a curious Christmas quilt. Begun in seasonal fabrics and patterns the quilt remains unfinished.Sylvia reveals that the handiwork spans several generations and a quartet of Bergstrom quiltersher great aunt her mother her sister and herself. As she examines the array of quilt blocks each family member contributed but never completed memories of Christmases past emerge.At Elm Creek Manor Christmas began as a celebration of simple virtuesjoy and hope buoyed by the spirit of giving. As each successive generation of Bergstroms lived through its unique trialsthe antebellum era the Great Depression World War IItradition offered sustenance even during the most difficult times. For Sylvia who is coping with the modern problem of family dispersed estranged or even forgotten reconciliation with her personal history may prove as elusive as piecing the Christmas Quilt.Elm Creek Manor is full of secrets from a Christmas tree with unusual properties to the sublime Bergstrom strudel recipe. Sylvia's tales at first seem to inform her family legacy but ultimately illuminate far more from the importance of women's art to its place in commemorating our shared experience at Christmastime and in every season.
language: English
title: The Christmas Quilt / The New Year's Quilt
publisher: Pocket Books