Spring has sprung!

Hope you're getting ready for the upcoming Online Needlework Show, April 15-20. Here's our newest design that will debut at the show.

Knowing our fondness for stitching bees, our friend and fellow stitcher, Zeena, sent us the Kahlil Gibran quote that inspired this design. We've been having such a beautiful Spring so far -- warm, sunny days, budding trees and the scent of blossoms in the air -- I wish it could last forever. I think looking at this piece on a cold winter day will certainly help to evoke warm and sunny memories.

The Promise of Spring

This is the view from my window today here in Brooklyn. As pretty as newly fallen snow is, budding trees and spring flowers are equally as beautiful. So, I admit I'm dreaming of Spring.

With that in mind, I started working on a new design. Think color, flowers and, yes, bees. Bee designs seem to be few and far between these days, even though Theresa and I try to do our part. (Maybe the needlework world is reflecting the outside world since the bee population has been seriously affected in recent years.) So there was no question that a bee or two would definitely be part of this design.

Here's a sneak peak to help keep the promise of Spring alive on a Winter's day. And stay tuned for the bee.

New York As Winter Wonderland

New York rarely gets big snow storms. When a major storm dumps nearly 11 inches on New York in the middle of a weekend, well it's pure magic!


I happen to live across the street from Central Park. These snowy steps are actually one of the park entrances right outside my apartment building. When I woke up to a stunning snowy day on Sunday morning, like any winter loving New Yorker, I ditched the list of chores, bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed into the park to frolic. Oh, and I took an easier route into the park than those steps!

Gorgeous snow vistas met my eye. But they were far from empty.

New Yorkers -- 2 and 4 footed -- were out enjoying the park, all dressed in their winter best. Family groups were everywhere, with dogs bounding in the snow and kids building snow creatures, throwing snowballs and building snow forts and castles -- or maybe those were really New York highrises?

Even the ducks were out enjoying the snowy day!

The rustic park benches looked like snow sculptures alongside the paths.

And every hill of any size was instantly made for sledding!

I spent quite some time wandering around Central Park - people watching, thinking about how to memorialize the enchantment in a design. For now, these photos will just have to do.

Theresa

Playing with Color

I've been busy selecting colors for the sampler adaptation that's in the works. I say adaptation because the colors I've chosen are much brighter than the original sampler. I've even chosen some variegated colors for a section where there's quite a bit of satin stitching.

The design will be stitched in Silk 'N Colors. So many beautiful shades and color variations, it was difficult to choose. (Yes, it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.) The fabric will be a neutral. In the picture it's Wichelt Latte, but I haven'definitely decided on this yet. I need to stitch a test swatch with the yellow/golds to make sure they show up against the fabric. Yellow/golds tend to disappear on many fabrics.

Once that's done, it's off to the model stitcher. Luckily, our friend Lil is not only a wonderful stitcher, she's also fast.

Related post: New Needlework Design in Process (scroll down for post.)

Come into My Web

Welcome to our new blog home. We decided to switch to a platform that offers more features, particularly a more convenient comment section for you. So come on in and tell us what you think. We love to hear from you.

When we started fixing up this new space, we came across this fun background. How could we resist it with a name like Arachne? Spiders are mostly identified with Halloween, but the spider plays a prominent role in the myth of Arachne. She was an expert needlewoman who challenged the Roman goddess of wisdom, weaving, crafts and warriors Minerva (also known as Athena in Greek mythology) to a weaving contest. Arachne hanged herself after Minerva shamed her for portraying the weaknesses of the gods in her tapestries. Having pity on the girl, Minerva brought Arachne back to life as a spider. From then on, Arachne and her descendents were known as great weavers.

It turns out we have another tie-in with the myth. Athena (Minerva) is usually depicted with an owl.I never even thought of that connection when I was designing Owl and the Pussycat Accessories and Owls' Night Out, but what could be more fitting. We haven't found a link to bees or Christmas yet, but that won't stop us from continuing to design around those themes.

Thanks for visiting. We're looking forward to talking with you about what we are working on. If you're not already subscribed to our blog either by email or in a reader, make sure you subscribe to receive up-to-dates on what's happening at Arachne's Silken Web. If you're new to our blog, you can read previous posts from the original blog by visiting Arachne's web site and clicking on the Inside Arachne'sWeb tab.

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