PORTAGE — For many Americans, the decorations of the Christmas holiday are as iconic as the day itself, with many adorning their homes and lawns with lights, wreaths and even giant inflatable snowmen.

Welcome to the second installment of our “Hazel’s Diary” project, a 1950s-style quilt with appliquéd wildflowers over pieced blocks. This year’s quilt is inspired by real diary entries written by a ...

Chiaverini (The Wedding Quilt) writes novels plotted around the Elm Creek Quilters. She describes well the work produced by the women, but all the fine adjectives in the fiction do not do justice to ...