Butterfly Dreams

And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on the Earth’s dark breast

Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Sensitive Plant

Is there anything more joyful than a beautiful butterfly in the midst of winter?  What a delight it has been to stitch on this beauty during the cold dark days of the year!  

It began back in December with the piecing of a pincushion.  In hindsight, I wish I'd used all green fabrics, but it turned out lovely, none the less!  

Working the stump work butterfly was a joy.  As you may know if you have been reading my blog for long, orange is NOT my favorite color, but on a Monarch Butterfly, it is joyful and stunning!  

I added a ball of milkweed flowers to the block for the butterfly to perch on.  For the remainder of the block, I tried to imagine flowers that looked like they might attract a butterfly rather than relying on exact copies of real flowers.  

At last, after stitching for the last 3 months in tiny bits of stolen time amidst all the other busy things taking place in my life, the butterfly landed on the pincushion this past week!  

I love how the little bit of wire in the wings adds a bit of gentle shape and how the old flower stamens created the perfect antennas!  

A few little blue butterflies came to join the Monarch!  

So lovely!  

Sending you wishes for Peace and Love on this Valentine's Day!