This floss woven woman was inspired by winter storms and Danish fairy tales I read when I was a little girl. Patterns of beads and sparkling stars adorn her heavy cloak. Her companion is equally adorned in
festive winter swirls and dripping crystal beads. I love the moments after the strong beautiful storms when
everything is pure and silent. I imagine this is why they name the storms after women.

You are cordially invited to moments at dusk between friends under silk lanterns. There will be rambling gardens and much laughter. We will celebrate summer under the stars.
Fairies and other winged creatures welcome!

This pattern was directly inspired by a trip to Florence Italy. I was
honored to observe the cracked, slightly yellowed, sculptural paint strokes of the Renaissance. There was a mysterious power in the hundred petalled roses strewn on the grass in a tapestry. The locks of Botticelli’s Venus silently flow. Entire gardens were embroidered on dresses. The architecture was dripping with the magic carvings of ancient artisans. This design is my interpretation of the
otherworldly beauty frozen in the glance of a painted maiden.

There was once a little girl who wanted nothing more in this world than her very own fairy, so her grandmother, who loved to garden, whispered a secret. We must plant a night-blooming flower garden, she said, and by the light of the crescent moon, a fairy will come. So they planted their garden with fragrant jasmine, night phlox, evening primrose, and moonflowers as large as saucers. When the moon rose, the flowers opened, releasing their perfume into the summer air. The little girl watched in astonishment as a dainty fairy arrived with her plump pillow and luxurious satin coverlets, her chestnut hair smelling of orange blossoms, her dress wreathed in
ribbons of lavender and garlands of tinkling beads.
Now that you know the secret, you, too, can plant a garden and find your very own fairy.
Susan Redington Bobby

The stage is set for the premier of Mozart’s Don Giovanni as an enigmatic woman enters the Metropolitan Opera House, the crowd parting before her as she glides up the lavish red and gold staircase towards the most expensive seats in the house. Her blue-black gown glitters with hand-sewn beads in a pattern evoking the creations of Gustav Klimt. Her delicate fingers grasp a jeweled shawl made of precious crystals that catch the light, reflecting her rainbow-hued silk sash. Framed at the entrance of her private box by an elaborate goldwork design, she pauses a moment to take in the sights and sounds of the orchestra tuning before taking her seat behind the curtain. Like an actress who plays many roles over a lifetime, the woman behind the stunning headdress and aloof expression remains a mystery to all.
Susan Redington Bobby