Rebirth and the Hope of Spring, My “Starling and the Paper Birch” Potholders For Sale

I’ve been watching the Starling couple making a nest in the Paper Birch  for a few weeks.

I first saw them when I was meditating.  They were so busy going back and forth carrying long pieces of grass and hay  to the hole under the mushroom in the birch tree.

Then I began to see them bringing what looked like worms and other insects.  Today for the first time, I watched one of the starlings bring a worm to the nest in the birch and heard the raucous cries of the baby birds.

I loved making these Potholders,  a spring story from Bedlam Farm.  It’s not just about the starlings, (one couple nests in the peak of the house every year) but the paper birch who is an integral part of the farm.

When we first came to the farm the paper birch, planted in the early 1960s, reached her arms out wide in a welcoming embrace.

Over the years her branches have dropped off, but she is still a staple of the farm, nurturing life even as she fades.

Once I found just the right fabric in my stash for the paper birch (a printed canvas from 1984), I reveled in finding just the tree and mushroom  patten in the random print.

My work is so often about pattern on pattern, but I wanted simplicity for this image, because it draws attention to the rebirth and hope for the future, that comes along with every spring.

I stitch and painted each of the 8 Starling and the Paper Birch Potholders individually, so even though the image is the same, they are all a bit different.

My Starling and the Paper Birch Potholders are $30 each + $5 shipping.  You can buy them in my Etsy Shop, just click here.  Or you can email me at [email protected].  I take checks PayPal and Venmo.