Springtime Inspiration and Happy Easter!

This time of year is so beautiful here in Germany. After a long, cold, winter, each flower that pops out is a welcome feast for these eyes that have seen nothing but grey. Those blooms provide so much inspiration for the type of stitching we do, and each year, both Teri and I (Kara) take a plethora of pictures as reference for future projects. Here is a little bit of our German inspiration.

 

Spring isn't the only source of inspiration over here. Since we will be leaving Germany in May, I have been actively trying to purchase some European antique treasures that have been on my must-have list. The first was a Bavarian painted armoire, or Bayerisch bemalter Schrank. The one I found has been re-painted, but the cabinet itself is from 1854. I fell in love with the bright colors and authentic paint style and knew that I had found my treasure—I even named her Elsa because that is how much I love it!

Another "unicorn" that I was searching for was a set of Mason china. My mother had purchased a Mason coffee set back in the 70s, long before she knew her daughter would marry a Mason. My mother-in-law also possessed a set of Mason china for her everyday, so owning my own set was my destiny (at least that is what I told my husband). I fell in love with this particular pattern because of the colors—you will probably see a version of it in a future design.

Easter is celebrated with enthusiasm here in Germany. Many homes will have eggs hung on the shrubs and their windows decorated. Collecting decorated eggs is also a hobby here as well. You can read about my visit with one such collector in a Spring "Egg"stravaganza.

Wanting to have a memory of the beautiful egg decorations, I found a lovely lady from Glasgow who was selling her collection of Ukranian painted eggs. The colors and designs on these eggs are so lovely that I may just leave them out all year long!

Teri actually made Ukranian painted eggs with a neighbor

Aren't they beautiful?

Inspiration comes from many places and we hope that we have brought a little to you with our images of what inspires us. May you have a lovely Easter even in these somewhat challenging times, and may the beauty of this season bring you hope and inspiration.

A Spring "Egg"stravaganza!

Signs of spring are everywhere here in Germany! When I (Kara) came home from the Academy of Appliqué, blooms of all kinds were just starting to peek through. Now, after a few weeks back, spring is here in full force. Daffodils and tulips are everywhere, primroses are emerging from the leaves in the forest, and the fruit trees are ready to burst forth with their glorious blossoms!

Spring and Easter are well celebrated in Germany. There is a Fruhlingsfest or Springfest, and there are even Easter markets similar to the beloved Christmas markets. While I have not been to an Easter market yet, I had a wonderful opportunity to see a spectacular display of decorated eggs. This collection of eggs was owned by a lovely lady by the name of Hanne, a member of our town's quilt guild. She has been collecting these incredible eggs for many years and primarily collects real eggs that are decorated in a myriad of ways. Every two years, Hanne sets up little vignettes throughout her apartment to display her collection. She gave me permission to share her collection on the blog, and I thought it would be an inspirational treat!

Hanne has a large collection of eggs painted with scenes from the Root Children books by Sybille von Olfers. These images were also used in the quilt Mother Earth and her Children, which is probably my favorite quilt ever.

What a beautiful scene Hanne has created!

The next display of eggs were those that had a religious theme. They were mostly about Easter, but there was one special one that showed the Nativity.

This egg contains a surprise inside.

A beautiful, hand created, Nativity scene!

The Easter display

Scene depicting a pregnant Mary on a donkey

One of Hanne's most expensive eggs

A beautifully painted angel

Many of the eggs in the collection had birds, flowers, wildlife, or lovely country scenes. I, of course, loved all the birds! 

The scenery scroll fit inside of the egg!

The inside of the egg

The outside

Noah's Ark on the inside

The outside

What's inside?

A sweet little fairy!

The filigree eggs were made using a dental drill!

These are the sweetest!

This artist spent many years learning how to paint faces, and it shows.

I would love to stitch this scene!

These rabbits live inside an ostrich egg.

This next egg has quite the story. Hanne was bringing it home in her suitcase when security flagged it as a possible grenade! Thankfully, it made it home safely.

It is a stunningly beautiful non-grenade!

Hanne knew that I loved flowers from showing the Flora and Fauna of Germany blocks at the guild, so she kindly invited me to see her collection through our mutual friend, Birgit. I was so honored that she would think of me! Each egg in her collection is very special and treasured, and I was inspired by all the beauty created by various artists. Hopefully these "egg"cellent wonders will inspire you!

Thank you Hanne!