Flashback Friday and Season's Greetings

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Lord's Snowfall, 2018

Season's Greetings!!!

I'm indulging in a flashback Friday for a visual to accompany my very best wishes for happy, healthy holidays to one and all. 

It's always productive to look back at your work, to appreciate what you've done and acknowledge how far you've come. It brings perspective. Lord's snowfall was finished in 2018, appliquéd by hand and hand quilted. It was one of the first times I "went off script" without a pattern and it took over 2 years to execute. Not only has my work evolved significantly in the last 7 years, but I've gotten much faster at handwork. It kinda boggles my mind.

This was an improv quilt; there was no plan starting out. Each snow crystal is unique. They were cut out and centered on varying sized blocks using a variation of the Hawaiian appliqué technique. As the blocks began to accumulate, conscious choices were made so the background would be a gradual transformation from blue to white which mimics the accumulation of snow on the ground.   


At one point, a silhouette was cut too thinly to appliqué, so instead of throwing it out, it was placed under the white for a shadow effect. These "shadow flakes" multiplied, accompanied by quilted flakes which give even more dimension to the scene.

Honestly, I can't take credit for the construction of my snow crystals. I owe it all to a teacher/quilter friend who told me about Snowflake Bentley (1865-1931), an amazingly curious, innovative photographer who pioneered the art of photomicrography. There are several books on his work, including a children's book, but I found this one especially helpful:



If you're looking for inspiration for a snowflake project you can also check out this link: https://snowflakebentley.com/images 

I'm not especially fond of cold temps, but I enjoy the beauty of winter and I'm awed by Snowflake Bentley. So many lessons to learn from this body of work: the wonder of nature, the rewards of a passion driven life, the value of each unique expression, . . . the pictures speak for themselves. So whether or not you are blanketed in snow right now, I will leave you with the wish that we all draw from the wonder of this season to sustain us moving forward.  

   

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