Unexpected forms, colors, words

Spring is officially here.

I can’t quite feel it yet, as it’s not too warm and only the earliest plants can survive outside.

But I know it’s coming soon, so I have more energy and I started a pile of new projects.

I’ve always loved patchwork, but at some point I got a little tired of squares. Recently, I discovered triangles – a new cool way to combine my lovely ethnic fabrics.

I made these one of a kind bags; only the last one is still available in our Etsy shop.

I revisited another one of my favorites too – bright floral patterns on black background. They seem to be more socially acceptable than the bolder color schemes, so more people choose this style.

I had forgotten about it somehow, but a message from a previous customer reminded me. A couple of years ago, she ordered a black bag with ethnic embroidery. Now she asked if there were any similar ones available.

I decided to make some of these too. The ladies loved them, and the first two were gone quite fast.

I’ve had this idea for some time, that peace is the basis for all growth. I wanted to visualize it in embroidery, and it came to life in this tie-dyed denim jacket. I really love how it turned out.

I started another up-cycled jacket too. I was inspired by a beautiful vintage hand embroidered pillowcase that I found in a local classifieds website.

A vibrant table runner (thrift find) prompted me to make this cheerful ethnic bag.

I finally found a project worthy of this treasure – wool fabric with traditional appliqué. I added some 3D floral embroideries and lush artistic yarn fringe. Just my kind of thing – a splash of color to welcome the new season.

I always search for new reads, which is not easy. I think my book taste was both refined and distorted by my long-term work in publishing. I was doing what I loved, but still I couldn’t choose what I read while at work.

I’ve considered this novel before, but I thought it would be too grim. I loved The Rice Mother by the same author, but I still had flashbacks of some dark scenes from it and I was not sure if I wanted more.

Still I decided to try it out, and I was surprised. So far it is really magical and immersive… all that I seek in a book.

Boris and I keep playing chess, and it starts to turn into a real battle. It is still too cold to play on the porch or in the fields, but soon we’ll be at it again.

Our new chess set is a bit quirky (one of my vintage finds).

I secretly hoped it would confuse him, to equalize our forces somewhat… but no such luck. He even plays chess at school as a sports activity of choice, so my chances are slim.