Welcome this family for the holidays.

• Tracing paper
• Dressmaker's carbon paper
• Six 9x12-inch pieces of antique-white felt (2 for each beanbag)
• Thread to match
• Plastic doll-stuffing pellets
• Polyester fiberfill
• Acrylic paints: bright green, cadmium orange, cherry red, deep periwinkle, black, primrose, terra-cotta, yellow
• Assorted small paintbrushes
• Pink cosmetic blush; cotton swab
• Permanent fine-tip black marking pen
• 1/4-inch-wide red ribbon (optional)

1. Download the free patterns. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.) Trace and cut out the full-size snow people pattern and the details from the other two snow people onto tracing paper; cut out. The body pattern outline is the sewing line.

Snow Folks pattern

Download Adobe Acrobat

2. Cut and sew fabric for body. For each snow person, stack and pin together two pieces of felt; transfer the pattern to the top piece of felt. Sew around each snowman's outline, leaving a 2-inch opening in one side for turning. Cut out each snowman 1/4-inch beyond the stitching for the seam allowance. Turn right side out.

3. Transfer details. Using carbon paper, transfer the snow people's facial features and clothing to the felt bodies.

4. Stuff. Lightly stuff the heads of the snow people with polyester fiberfill. Fill the legs and nearly 2/3 of the bodies with plastic doll-stuffing pellets. Using small, tight stitches, hand-sew the openings closed.

5. Paint the features. Use a light touch with a paint-filled brush. Dab on extra paint to fill in solid areas.

Snowman with Vest: Paint the nose orange. Use black to paint the eyes, mouth, glasses, and buttons. Paint the vest stripes cherry red. Use bright green to paint the bow tie.

Snowman with Scarf: Paint the nose orange and the eyes and mouth black. Use yellow and green to paint alternating stripes for the scarf. Paint the scarf fringe green.

Snowlady: Using terra-cotta, paint the snowlady's hair. Paint the nose orange and the eyes and mouth black. Use deep periwinkle to paint the collar and buttons. Use primrose for the flower petals and green for the leaves. After the flower dries, make three black dots in the center of the flower. Using pink blush and a cotton swab, apply a dot of blush to the cheeks. Use the fine-tip black marker to apply eyelashes.

6. Add ribbon for hanging. If desired, sew the center of a 16-inch length of ribbon to the head of snowman.