Winter Warmth

Old York street light with Sennelier watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Purchase Old York Pub

 

Lately, my head has been full of plans for the future and a growing list of things to accomplish, matched only by my lackluster state of mind.  A few months ago, I took a photo of a street light while exploring the old city of York, and have wanted to paint this ever since.

On Tuesday, as I finally made myself put the paint-loaded brush to paper, the ease came back.  Painting the weathered stones and the walls was quite cathartic, and the warm light became the proverbial beacon.

 

Thank You for keeping me going with your lovely supportive words and personal emails sharing memories evoked by my work.

 

 

Tule Elk at Point Reyes | Whims And Fancies

 

More photos from Pt. Reyes on A Day At The Sea Post

 

A few weeks ago we went back to Point Reyes National Seashore.  On our way back, we came across these Tule elks grazing right by the roadside. They were introduced back after their extirpation from this region in the 1850s.  Warms my heart to see them back in their natural habitat.

 

 

Tule elks at Point Reyes | Whims And Fancies

 

 

Last rays of the setting sun

 

 

Harvest Hat Knitting Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I made a pair of mitts for my friend Kris before.  It was about time I made this matching hat for her.  This hat, along with a few other things made it out there on Monday.  She loves it and said the hat snuggles her ears too.  Perfect!

 

 

Yosemite | Whims And Fancies

 

Yosemite And I – A post about why I love it there so much

 
We haven’t had much rain or snow here this year.  Instead, our beautiful California has been burning from north to south.  Snow-covered landscape has been scarce this year, as has the winter rain.

 

 

Colonial House quilt pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

Post about a holiday in Kings Canyon inspired wall hanging

Purchase Colonial House Pattern

 

That photo I took of Yosemite reminded me of sitting by a large stone fireplace, sipping on a warm drink after a wonderful day out in the snow.  The parks here have common rooms with warm fires in large stone fireplaces.  We will not be going to the Sierra mountains this year, but that won’t stop me dreaming of my favourite place.

 

 

Black And White Sewing | Whims And Fancies

 

 

At home, looking out of the window at the bare trees and at the bookshelves beside the window gave me an idea for a small sewing project.

 

The time has come for my holiday hibernation away from the computer.  This year with everything that has been going on, I will need this time to gather myself more than ever.  Time to bask in the warmth that old man winter brings to me.  This comes in the guise of admiring my favourite star clusters during the long winter nights,  and walks wearing my favourite woolens during the days. 

Inside the home, long hours of video game playing with my husband has become a tradition.  I love to paint in the soft winter sunlight.  Ink and paper adventures await me, along with the prospect of a warm beverage, fireside and kitty cuddles. 

 

Happy Holidays, everyone!  I wish you a warm and safe holiday season full of wonder and magic!

-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  They are great for inspiration, please pay a visit to some of them.

 

 

 

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Make Art

 

Purchase Quill Pen Pattern

 

I love to play with many things, and it all starts with sketching a concept.  Even with all the electronic devices available at my fingertips, ink, pen and paper are still my favourite tools, and not just for painting.  When I am playing a musical instrument, I quite often scribble on my sheet music too.  I have a very difficult time passing up on pens and inks, resulting in a drawer full of ink bottles accompanied by wooden calligraphy pens, glass pens, fountain pens and quill pens.

One day, the sight of a quill pen and a bottle of ink on my table sparked the idea of a Make-Art-themed wall hanging.  This quill pen and ink bottle is the first in a series of Make Art quilt patterns, available in my shop.

 

That also got me thinking about the myriad ways of making art.  Many thanks to the makers of these blocks for letting me share some of them here.

 

 

Piano Quilt Pattern. Block made by carwashcat101 | Whims And Fancies

Piano by carwashcat101

Piano Quilt Pattern. Block made by carwashcat101 | Whims And Fancies

Piano by carwashcat101

 

Music is a very powerful and emotional form of art.  It has definitely played a big part in my life, which prompted me to make a whole set of musical instrument quilt patterns. carwashcat101 shared these photos of the beautiful pianos she made from my pattern.  She plans to make another one in green.

 

 

Music Notes Quilt Pattern. Block made by featheredneststudio | Whims And Fancies

Music Notes by featheredneststudio

Music Notes Quilt Pattern. Blocks made by craftyquilter | Whims And Fancies

Music Notes by craftyquilter

 

The musicians fill music notes with emotion as they bring the notes to life through their instruments.   Music Notes was one of the very first patterns I wrote.  featheredneststudio and craftyquilter made these wonderful blocks from it.

 

 

FREADOM Read Books Quilt Pattern. Wall hanging made by Elizabeth Plantz | Whims And Fancies

Freadom by Elizabeth Plantz

FREADOM Read Books Quilt Pattern. Wall hanging made by Elizabeth Plantz | Whims And Fancies

Freadom by Elizabeth Plantz

 

Where would I be without books!  So much power tucked away between pages artfully written by the authors.  Elizabeth Plantz, a member of the ALA biblioquilters,  made these two wall hangings for an auction using the FREADOM pattern. That auction raised $620 in scholarship funds from the sale of the minis.

 

 

Bear Cub Quilt Pattern. Pillow made by Elisabeth | Whims And Fancies

Bear Cub by Elisabeth

Autumn Leaves Quilt Pattern. Table runner made by Elisabeth | Whims And Fancies

Leaves by Elisabeth

 

Nature herself makes art all the time, always unique, a constant source of inspiration.  Elisabeth’s bear cub is definitely one of a kind, as is her Autumn Leaves table runner.

 

 

SLR Camera Quilt Pattern. Block made by scrapmaster01 | Whims And Fancies

Camera by scrapmaster01

SLR Camera Quilt Pattern. Wall hanging made by fabricker | Whims And Fancies

Camera by fabricker

 

I can’t even begin to express my feelings about photography in words.  It is an intrinsic part of me now.  As cameras have become more ubiquitous, we use them to make art everyday while capturing life around us.  Scrapmaster01 and fabricker made these amazing cameras using my Fields On Camera pattern.

 

 

Make Art - Feather Quill quilt pattern with ink bottle | Whims And Fancies

 

Purchase Quill Pen Pattern

 

These examples of creativity got me excited about designing the Make Art quilt patterns.   I am very happy with this first one.  This quill pen quilt pattern makes a 6″ x 12″ block and is fairly easy to sew.  It is now available in my shop.  I think it would make a wonderful gift for an artist in your life.

All the other patterns are available in my shop.

Art is all around us, a force that magically moves us, and emotionally affects us.  This pattern is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to share more with you.

-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them, they are a lot of fun!

 

 

 

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