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Janesville woman designs ornament for White House Christmas tree

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This glittery ornament designed by Janesville's Kristine Moser will be displayed on the Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.

JANESVILLE — It couldn't be real, was Kristine Moser's first reaction to a letter she received this summer from staff at the White House.

But it was.

Their request was to create an ornament for a Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House.

"It didn't hit me; the importance of this one," said Moser of Janesville, who was in the middle of working on five other charity projects.

When reality set in, Moser "started getting a little nervous."

But since the project had to be done by Oct. 1, she got busy instead.

Working from a supplied silver base ornament, Moser had to embellish its 5-inch diameter without changing its size or base in a red, white and blue theme, following specific guidelines.

The ornament had to represent Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District and would be one of 435 U.S. Congressional District ornaments to hang on the 20-foot tree, Moser said.

Moser, a fiber artist, used thousands of tiny silver sequins strung and sewn together to cover the top two-thirds of the ornament to represent the sky.

"It's beautiful, clear and gorgeous," she said.

The blue lines streaming down through the silver sky represent the stars at night while the blue at the base are fields with red cow-looking spots to coincide with the Dairyland state, Moser said. The word Wisconsin, in red, accents the ornament.

"There wasn't a whole lot of room to go wild" because of specific requirements, Moser said.

Moser and her daughter attended a holiday open house Dec. 2 at the White House after receiving a personal invitation from First Lady Laura Bush.

When Moser saw the red, white and blue tree, she was happy the ornament she designed hung at eye level.

"It was a dream and an honor. I was in awe. You could have pinched us, and we wouldn't have felt it," she said.

Although Moser often is involved in charity projects, participating in one for the White House was an exciting first.

"This was a good time to focus on political events—with the election and moving forward as a nation," she said.

During her visit, Moser also presented Laura Bush a 24-by-20-inch floral tapestry featuring each state's flower.

"It was just to say, 'Thank you,' to her for all the things she's done and for inviting artists to a party."