The sunflower series ...

I dip in & out of various crafts but am always doing something creative.  I am a lifelong skills learner & often sign up for courses to learn something new. Some years back, I did a day long needle felting course & absolutely love it. 

The scenes from Ukraine has given me the incentive to do some sunflower inspired needle felting & I blogged my earlier blue & yellow efforts in March. It is a very creative, calming activity that is coupled with hand embroidery, something I learnt at my Mother & Grandmother's knee. Not all greens are the same, I often combine two different threads, especially adding in metallic gold ... 

The sunflower is a powerful symbol that can be interpreted in many ways - my sunflower collection is now at 10 felted images; I have yet to decide what to do with them but they are all unique in their own way & they reflect a moment in time that we are all party to via the news. 

I blogged the first 4 felted images here so look back on them for detail if you want .... 

    

The red poppies make an appearance,  we all know of the association with war, remembrance  .... 

A pure heart against the blue & yellow - the strands being pulled away from it as people flee ... 

  

Faith, Hope & Love - as  refugees made their way in to various countries, I was inspired by a charm my parents had given me decades ago - I combined the three as I thought they showed a core strength. 

A vase of sunflowers, bold against the blue sky (blue & yellow are the national colours of Ukraine) with a candle to show the way ....

Whenever I start felting, I have an idea but it develops as I work. I knew I needed to reflect the destruction of whole cities, of lives. The destruction is under a blue & yellow sky, straggly sunflowers with a river of blood red beads ... 

The blue heart is being pierce with red beads, sunflowers holding it all together.  The red in the heart rests on a bed of poppies which are a universal sign of Remembrance, of war across the world. You cannot escape the blood soaked earth ... 

Much of that region belong to various Eastern Orthodox churches & so it is fitting that in the run up to Easter, a cross must be against the chaotic sky. The sunflowers & spring blooms are signs of hope with the ever present red poppies a reminder of the reality. 

The last two together - the religious aspect which is important. I find it hard to believe that the Church & the many religious leaders are not taking a firmer stance on this atrocity ... 

I felted a large sunflower then did not know how to continue so it sat on the felting mat overnight. As soon as I saw it this morning, I realised it is Palm Sunday & then the way forward found its own way. The sunflower is meant to be bold, to be defiant, to be the centre, the palms a reminder of Easter this coming week, the stars, and a single small cross ... 

Do you have one you are more drawn to? Thank you for stopping by, be thankful for your life where you are & keep those who need it in your prayers. 

Dee ~💕~