Lily of the Valley

The delicate blooms of the tiny Lily of the Valley have always fascinated me. I love their unique scent, the quintessential floral fragrance, Muget du bois! It was my mother's favorite perfume. We bought her a bottle for Christmas every year. And when she would walk downstairs, stressed up for an occasion, the linger scent of these delicate lillies would follow her. I will forever associate their gentle little bells and fragrance with my mother.

They are now blooming in my garden, and I picked a bouquet of these lovely blooms for the house. Their scent lingers in my kitchen, bringing images of springs past, and gardens of my childhood. I am working on an embroidered quilt block which attempts to capture their sweet bell shape, and pristine pinkish white color.

It is only partially completed but I am experimenting with satin stitch on the flowers, and still have much practice to go before my satin stitch looks good. But it is a start and I am enjoying the fun and making this precious blooms come to life on fabric. I have been trying for some months to come up with a way to creat a table runner which uses lily of the valley to complete my Charming Botanicals table runner collection. May is the only month that still eludes me, as I try to find a way to retain the delicacy of the blossoms, and still create a floral quilt which is easy to do and elegant in design. I took lots of pictures of the flowers in my garden for inspiration, in addition to collecting other artistic pieces that feature the darling buds.

Here are few of the treasures I have found.

I find the green and white palate an great source of peace and contentment, and I hope that the quilt design I finally come up with will convey that same sense of "comfort" and "home." A great way to spend Mothers Day, I think.