Easter Egg Inspiration

Easter in Germany is a very special time and celebrated in many different ways. I had the privilege of visiting a friends egg collection. I didn't know what to expect, but the eggs were a marvel. Here is a re-posting of my visit so please enjoy!

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!

What's Happening?

 

Spring has officially hit the state of Maryland, and I (Teri) have been enjoying some beautiful long walks, enjoying all the flowers in bloom. There is nothing that inspires us more than nature, with all its bountiful beauty. I guess it's no surprise that we stitch so many flowers!

Even as the world is starting to slowly open up again, at least here in the US, we are staying quite busy with new designs for online stitching programs. Participating in several stitch alongs this past year has been such a fun way to "meet" new stitching friends, while we anticipate classes opening in person again. It shan't be long, we hope!

Here are a few things we have been up to lately. We still have kits available for all our previous stitch-along blocks, and orders are still rolling in, but this is the last week for free digital pattern downloads, so if you haven't gotten your patterns, act fast! They will still be available, but for purchase.

Vicki McCarty of Calico Patch Designs has created a stunning finishing design for all of the Potted Petals Mystery Stitch-A-Long blocks. Each of the designers still has patterns and kits available, and now you can get the finishing pattern and kit to make this quilt, as well. For details, check our website, where you can find live links to each designer's site: https://www.needleseyestories.com/potted-petals-mystery-stitch-a-long.

I think my violet was so excited that we had stitched some into our Tea and Blooms block that it decided to bloom for me. These are the first blooms I've gotten in about three years!

A Few New Mysteries Coming Your Way!

Our Woolie Buddies have once again gathered together to present a new mystery stitch along. The name will have to be your hint here, because it IS a mystery, but I can tell you that there are some fabulous projects in store for you. Be watching for more information on our social media, in the Potted Petals Facebook group, and on our website, as it will be starting soon. Any guesses?!

We are also happy to be participating in the Joy of Giving Mystery, with thirteen other designers. Each of the 14 projects can be made and given as gifts, and a new one will be released every other week, beginning on June 6. These are great affordable projects to help you prepare for your gift-making and giving. To follow this fun, you can join the new Joy of Giving Mystery Facebook group, or watch our website and this blog to see more about our project.

I will be updating our website in the very near future with more information about both of these stitching opportunities. It's hard to spend so much time at the computer when the spring flowers are calling me outside!

Conferences and classes are beginning to open in person, and we are so excited to be teaching at Baltimore on the Prairie this September. We have two fun classes planned for this event, pictured below. We would love to see you there. Kara and I are already planning for 2022! 

Session A

Session B

And we are thrilled to again be on the prestigious faculty of the Academy of Appliqué in 2022 and are busily preparing our designs. The fun will continue!! The class catalog will be available in early August. 

We've been as busy as this bee in the cherry tree, stitching and writing patterns, and looking for inspiration in this beautiful spring season. You never know which flower will under our needles next!

Happy spring!!

Did you know that whenever the words appear in a teal color, they are live links to click on for more information? 

Packing Time

 

Spring is coming! And that means we are getting ready to head to the Academy of Appliqué in Williamsburg, Virginia. This will be our fourth year as members of the faculty, and we are honored to be a part of such a prestigious group of appliqué artists. 

Kara arrived in the states on Tuesday, and we have been busy preparing and packing for our trip. The pictures of our mess explain why this post is so brief. But we will have a LOT to share with you from our wonderfully packed month of teaching. 

Maybe we will see you at one of our upcoming events, or maybe we will just be visiting virtually. In any case, thanks for joining us!