Hares and Red berries

I have been collecting some branches of red berries.  You know they are a favourite subject for me and they look so bright and shiny on the gloomy grey days.  We have had our first little shower of snow and it brought the frosty mornings and a drop in the temperature.  This is when I love to sew and knit and I have been making some little lavender cushions. I picked the lavender and dried it by the fire and then had the job of sorting out the seeds from all the other bits of stalk. The whole house had the smell of lavender drifting in every room and so I decided to use my lovely Hares again. I made one for me and then one for my friend and it is hanging in her house in Wales.

This hare is now in Wales

   I am a huge fan of handmade things, baskets, knitting, sewing, patchwork and cross stitch are some of my favourites. I have made many special gifts over the years using these crafts and  wish I had more time to sew.    The stash of fabric is ready and waiting for some lovely patchworks. In the meantime I can start and finish little projects like the lavender cushions and  I so enjoyed using the fabric knowing it is my drawings of the hares, makes it even more special.

My hare drawings on the lovely "peony and sage" linen  which I sewed into a lavender cushion

I came home with the branches of red berries and some dried seed heads. I felt they were a reflection of my walk as I kept seeing images of the tall sculptural plants along the hedgerows.

They are here pictured in my hand. I tried to capture that feeling of the dried cow parsley seed heads and the branch of  bright red berries.

 I used a dip in pen and sepia ink for the seed heads and then painted the red berries with a paint brush and acrylic inks.  It feels rather like a lino print and a little different from my usual work but I enjoyed doing it and had fun.  Red berries tells me it is getting near to the festive seasons, and i will let them dry and use them for decoration later in the year.

Hope you like the picture.  I bet you all like the Hares more!  Thank you for your lovely comments. Next time it will be  my 200th post so  I will be having a  little give away, so please join in and some one will win a prize by me.                Millyx

The fabric with my hare drawings, made into lavender cushions by me.

They are lovely and smell wonderful  around the house.