What I Like in March: Cherry Blossoms
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 4:38PM 
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now. . . .
I am very lucky to live in one of the most beautiful big cities in the world. Our nation’s capital, with its many parks, green spaces, historic buildings and monuments is truly hard to beat. Especially in the springtime. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is currently underway and the blooms are at their peak this week. Several years ago my husband ran in the Cherry Blossom 10K, and while he was racing I was snapping pictures (when I wasn’t huddled in the public restrooms to elude the sub-freezing temps and blustery winds).
Recently, I have been working with a designer who is creating a logo and brand for me that I am planning to use in my Etsy shop in the future. In order to give her an idea of what I like and my sense of style, I sat down and created a document that I entitled “What I Like”. I listed all sorts of personal preferences (colors, textures, finishes, materials) as well as things that I find visually appealing. This was a very useful exercise as it helped me to understand why I am drawn to certain things over and over. One of the flowers I listed amongst my favorites was the cherry blossom. Here is a pictorial look at a few of the blossom-themed items from my sewing studio and around my house.
This linen sheath dress is from Talbots. A simple design with a lovely print. A short time after I bought this dress I came across the same fabric yardage at one of the fabric stores in Langley Park, MD. I bought some but so far it has just been aging in my stash.
I “inherited” this piece from an unknown sewing sister. Someone at my church approached me with the story that an elderly friend had recently moved into a nursing home. My church friend, knowing my passion for sewing, asked if I would be willing to help the family by taking all of the things from the sewing room. I discovered a treasure trove of vintage fabrics and sewing supplies. In one of the boxes I came across an unfinished sheath dress from this beautiful silk print (it appears to be screen printed) along with some remaining yardage. I don’t know what I will do with this fabric but its beauty has impressed me since I first laid eyes on it. I’m saving it for something very special.
A sneak peak of a pillow I created for my Etsy store using several different machine embroidery designs on silk with hand beading.
Remember that list I talked about earlier in my post? I am hoping to use that list as inspiration for some blog posts in the future. I’d like to share with you, in a pictorial capacity, some of the things that inspire my work. I’ve just completed an online blogging course, Blogging Your Way, and am hoping to incorporate some of the ideas I gathered in that class into some different types of posts for my blog in order to keep it fresh and inspiring. Please come along for the journey and consider creating your own list of things that inspire you and your work.
cherry blossoms in pictorial 
Reader Comments (2)
Julie, I love your writing and blog so much that I set aside special time to sit and enjoy the pictures and your beautiful work. This one reminds me so much of you...graceful, grateful, conscientious and thoughtful. It's an interesting experiment to try to communicate to another person the visual things that show my inner self.
I absolutely LOVE your cherry blossom pillow, it is so beautiful! However, I cannot find your Etsy store and do not know if you still make this pillow...
I hope I hear from you soon...
Laura Gaudin
**my master bedroom is decorated in an Asian theme with Pink cherry blossoms and bamboo. I find it so calming and relaxing...