Welcome to SPRING - where we are sharing another Ontario "shutdown" 28 days and loving the sanctity of the trails, the beauty of new growth, and time here together as we take this gentle walk into another season... 

Just thinking of the preciousness of this beautiful April 2nd Good Friday morning ...starting off as a beautiful day! The sun rises earlier now and the days are growing longer, and the clouds have been moving out. Bits and pieces of the world are seeming to fall into place as the green of newly sprouting tiger lily pants are just outside the bedroom window, and the crepe myrtle plants are coming back to life.

I have been creating art and using studio time for some "just be in the space" time. One new Indigo quilt hanging on the wall and another is awaiting its change for being under the needle. A goal is to work toward surrounding myself with Indigo this spring and celebrate BLUE - blue water and blue skies and all things blue. 

FOR THE LOVE OF BLUE, Bethany Garner 

The Blue Jay and the Northern Bluebirds are returning to our yard, seeking nesting. The trails are open and the creeks are flowing. Porcupines are coming out of hiding and climbing to the tops of the newly budding maples to feast on the first leaves. Coyotes have returned to howling at the moon, and this week, our grandson stood on the deck with our son and listened to the song... wondering and waiting to see them, but they never appear... 'just out there" somewhere nearby.

Creating for another Art Exhibition took a week or two off of March 2021...and "Pandemic Lockdown - PAIN" has winged its way via Priority Courier from Canada Post to the show... I hope.

This piece was created as a replacement for several art quilts I made for the same CONNECTIONS Fibre Artists show at the Grimsby Art Gallery in 2020 which was canceled. I sold the three pieces to help support the rental payments for my studio space at the TETT Centre, and they were only in my collection at the studio for a short time. I am always happy to see my work appreciated and become part of a collector's art in their home or office.

This piece just needed to express a story - behind the screen printed barbed wire is a story of days that made me pause and consider a bit clearer what life is all about. The words that are hand-stitched at the bottom (and this is not a great photo) reflect the pandemic days we are stepping into..

Family, Health, Outdoors, Cooperation, Love, Vaccine, Determined, Forgiven, Anger, Hikes, Participation, Reading, LIVE!

Black cotton, match-stick quilted, and hand-embroidered letters in the words. DONE!

So, as we move through the holiday weekend, and make our way along the "shutdown" days... may your lives be calm and the opportunity to create be a major part of your daily plans. Take some walks and be inspired by what is happening in the world around you. Take along your camera and share the beauty with others. 

Join an online classroom and make some new art in ways you have never thought of: My Plans are

* tor work through an amazing online "Community Stitch Challenge - Paper Samplers" class with Jennifer Collier through TEXTILEARTIST.org - great fun!

* to wind multiple warps for hand dyeing using both Procion Fibre Reactive Dyes and Natural Dyes

* to work on the OHS Weaving Unit One samples that need to be finished so I can get the warps I am dyeing onto the JANE 40 loom and keep that moving forward. 

* to work on Tien Chen "Krokbragd" weaving and try some at new pattern designing for the samples

* to work some magic on my new Ashford 32" rigid heddle loom - weaving linen yarns into stunning cloth for new art quilts (I have 32 cones of Boken's Linen ready to go!)

* to sell my ASHFORD Knitters Loom/Stand and four reeds - $450 (anyone interested)

* to find a new home for the 36" Leclerc Loom in my studio, with three reeds...$400

Have a wonderful walk into spring 2021 everyone - Happy Easter weekend...