When I lived in Brooklyn, I used to spend a great deal of time at the Union Square Anthro. It's a really beautiful space, and beside the enormous front doors I always noticed a little grove of stitchy velvet mushrooms. The velvet was a rusty, vintage scarlet, and they always made me very happy. I always longed to make a few of my own.
Yesterday (quite randomly, as these things often are) I decided it was time. I got up and dyed some silk velvet a few different shades of red, and got two beautiful colors (a rusty burgundy, and a warm true-red). Later on, I made a few paper templates, and stitched wool dots on happily in the late afternoon sun:
I don't do very much hand-sewing, and am always soothed when I do.
I stuffed them firmly with puffs of poly-fil and weighted the bottom halves of the stems with rice, and they are going to be very sweet company, whether they end up in my studio or bedroom.
I think this afternoon of mushroom-making was also brought on by seeing Tamar Mogendorff's amazing work in real life when we were visiting Philly. Her little creatures and twigs are just wonderful (and the wee mushroom people are my favorites, with their bead-y eyes and thready roots).
Happy Sunday!
