A huge cherry tree grew outside, so close that its boughs tapped against the house, and it was so thickset with blossoms that hardly a leaf was to be seen.
…”I named that cherry tree outside my bedroom window this morning. I called it Snow Queen because it was so white. Of course, it won’t always be in blossom, but one can imagine that it is, can’t one?”
~Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
I have my own “Snow Queen”–not a cherry tree like Anne’s, but an apple tree. It inspired this piece of bead embroidery, “Tree in Bloom.”
This was mostly created while I sat out on my sunny front porch, watching spring burst to life–and nursing a very nasty spring cold. I spent the beginning of May embroidering, binge-watching All Creatures Great and Small, and single-handedly keeping Kleenex and Sudafed in business. It was hard to feel too sorry for myself, though, when the birds and flowers were so cheerful.
“Tree in Bloom” is worked on cream cotton and is framed in a 10-inch embroidery hoop. Both wood and glass beads create the tree branches, fluffy flowers and budding leaves. It was something of an experiment, and although there are a few things I would change next time, overall I am happy with it.
I photographed it on my own “Snow Queen,” which, due to a long-lasting winter, isn’t actually in bloom yet. “But one can imagine that it is, can’t one?”
This piece is being raffled off at the library where I work, as part of a fundraiser. Hopefully it invites a lot of tickets!
Ash & Acorn 