It’s easy to lose contact with the seasons and the natural passing of time. That’s why I always like to note both growth and decline in my garden. It’s my way of staying in touch with our Earth.
Today is the winter solstice in my part of the world – the shortest day of the year. The word ‘solstice’ is from the Latin – sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). The winter solstice is a stillness before the Sun’s strength builds and days grow longer.
Humans have always honoured the passing of seasons. Many cultures pay tribute to our connection to the natural world with winter solstice rituals. I believe this helps us keep human existence in perspective. Nature is so much bigger than any of us.
This is a small quilt I made several years ago. I sun-dyed a plain piece of fabric with sky Sun Dyes fabric paint and stencils I made with a glue gun. I also used the stencil to cut a shape from a piece of painted fusible webbing and fused it to the fabric. My quilt is hand stitched. I hope these snowflakes aren’t a sign of what we can expect this winter!