Spring Has Sprung

Here in the Pacific NorthWet, we expect spring to be chilly and drizzly. But for the next few days, at least, we are expecting warmer than normal temperatures and clear blue skies. This is a great opportunity to get out in the yard, take a long walk, visit the zoo – anything outdoors. Because we know in our hearts that the rain will return.

At the top of this blog is a row of photos of my work. On the far right side is a large neckpiece called “Spring Rain”. For me, one of the surest signs that spring is on the way is the appearance of the lowly crocus. They can run the gamut of purples, white and yellows, and are cheerful little hints of good things to come. They are popping up all over the place, and they inspired the color choices for that neckpiece.

Meanwhile, while digging around in the basement (aka studio) I ran into a box of beaded pieces that were finished, but had never been photographed. Not for a moment would I profess to being a good product photographer (Van was great at it and did all my photography until he got too sick to handle it). And sometime down the road, I hope to get some lessons from my brother about set up and lighting. But for now, here are a few not-so-great photos from the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time box.

Winged Mystery
Ice Storm
Amber & Pearls

That’s all for now, my little chickadees. With any luck at all, everything will work so that you received this in your email in-box.

Be well, create beauty, and enjoy springtime (whenever it gets to you)!

Larkin

Snow Days

Recently, the Pacific Northwest suffered one of the worst snow events in recent memory.  I heard that they had to go back to 1949 to find a worse storm on record.  Now I understand that we don’t get the winter weather that is found in other parts of the country, and believe me, I sympathize.  But the truth of the matter is, Seattle and environs are just not prepared for serious winter weather because we simply don’t get it very often.  There are lots of hills around here, and lots of transplants from other places who don’t know how to deal with our particular mix of wet, heavy snow and underlying ice.  The best approach is to get everyone indoors, and stay there until things start to get better.

Which is what we did.  My approach was to watch some old movies and binge-watch some favorite old TV shows while catching up on some handwork.  One of the projects I picked up to finish had actually been hanging around since 2016.  I know this because at some point in the construction, I actually signed and dated it with my sewing machine.

This is the latest in my Treasure Box series, and is about 6″ square.  I love the color scheme of the fabric collage, which was exuberantly free motion stitched.  The top was beaded by hand, and the wonderful ceramic face is by Diane Briegleb.

I worked on a few other projects during the snow, but none of them got finished except this one.  By the way, the signature is on the bottom of the box where no one will see it unless they pick it up and look.

Winter isn’t over yet, so stay warm, dry, safe, and healthy, my little chickadees!

Peace,

Larkin