Where was I and what I was doing.

Time has really gotten away from me and its been a few months since my last significant post here. Since my last post most of the time I was home, I have battled two more bouts of the flu which left me lacking energy and hoping I had seen the last of the flu season, so far I have.

The deep freezes throughout late January and February left my garden lost despite my best efforts to protect the plants by covering them, its gardening and its always a risk but as January moved on the rhododendron bloomed

and is still blooming but the rain today has stripped most of the flowers from its branches, the Canna Lily I thought was lost to the freeze has shown she is made of hardy stuff and is producing some lovely green leaves I don't expect flowers till July.

Today despite heavy rains, hail and tornado warnings I noticed my Jasmine has bloomed, what a perfect symbol for the 1st day of Spring.

I have completed a few hand embroidered pieces two in time for Ostara and the Spring Equinox

This Goddess with March hares is a simply prayer flag for the garden area and this March Hares with Full Moon I haven't decided how to finish it yet, though an altar cloth or wall hanging is high on my list of ideas.

The March Hares with Moon was stitched on a piece of old dress linen that a friend sent me, as soon as I saw the fabric I knew I wanted to embroider on it so I cut off a piece after printing my design onto stitch and wash away product, chose my colors of DMC cotton floss and started to stitch.

The piece I made for Brigid's day turned out lovely and was inspired by a beautiful drawing by Mia Anthonia Fries Orsted

my hand embroidery

original drawing by Mia Anthonia Fries Orsted

I made a sweet heart for Valentine's Day as part of the EGA stitch along for February which was to do redwork.

I also have a few hand pieces I made

crossed fingers

Bruja and moon

reaching

holding the moon

I have a few more hand pieces I will eventually stitch and then put them together and see what comes out, all the hands are done on scraps of fabric.
I am still working on the Urban Threads Greenman though he is taking longer than I expected for a

few reasons, #1 I printed the pattern out onto the stitch and wash away product I love and I enlarged the pattern which would be fine but before I stuck the pattern onto the fabric to begin stitching I added a backing fabric so pulling the needle through is a bit hard causing my fingers to cramp and get sore rather quickly.
 #2 reason is when I started to stitch him I was in no real hurry to complete it but now it seems like it will take till next Beltane to be done.  I had thought to take out the stitches and remove the backing fabric or to cut away the backing fabric that wasn't stitched, I did neither, continued on stitching and made some progress.

I read a few magazines, and a few books in between stitching and other things which will be a post for another day.