The Annual Design For Aaron: Aaron's Flowers 2012 sampler

Aaron's Flowers

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2012

Every July, when the hottest of the year yields it's heat, I know that Aaron's (my first born son) birthday is soon around the corner. For the past few years, I have designed a sampler in memory of him. This year, I was inspired by the flowers that grace his memory. Blue and yellow were his colors in many ways. He was born and died in 1985 and I can't believe this August 16 he would have been 27 years old.

This sampler, as most all samplers has some symbolic meaning interplaying in it's design.

There are 27 blooms in honor of his years we have been apart. Some small and large hearts in both colors are representative of his sweetness and the love and have and will always have for him. The one blue and yellow heart represents the overshadowing of his death on my life throughout the years.The small cross represents his innocence as a baby and that he lives in Heaven but his spirit is with me all the time. His initials for his name Aaron Franklin and the year of his physical prescence as he was nurtured to full term but left way too early. The yellow centered heart flower, the large one, standing alone represents his yellow outfit he was buried in and the surrounding lighter blue of which covered him with a blue and white blanket that said "Thank Heaven for Little Boys". The overshadowing top Morning Glory color border reminds me of the rain that followed the day after he was buried. I can clearly remember this as if it was yesterday.

This memory for me is bittersweet even after all these years. I often wonder what he would have been like if he had lived until today. Butterflies outside frequently remind me that his prescence is always near me and will be for the rest of my life. I think of him as my little angel and God needed Him at that time.

Posting this does bring a tear to my eye but it's not for pity or sadness. It's just in remembering how his birth and death shadowed my heart. For all who have had the loss of a child, I'm sure you can relate to what I'm saying. I look forward to the day I will be reunited with him in Heaven and because of his innocence and sweetness, I'm sure he will meet me there with open, not closed, arms.

His footprints.

Fibers of choice on this piece but I really like Gentle Art:

Morning Glory

Presidential Blue (darker blue)

Butternut Squash

Gold Leaf

Apple Cidar ----the base of the flowers

Strawbonnet for the word "in"

Baby Spinach--green

linen of choice and this would be gorgeous in 1 over 1 on linen, but also good for 2 over 2. I would make this a pillow keep and use the gold fabbie I got this week at the quilt shop in the making.

One of the things I need to do as a goal this year is to stitch more of my own designs! I keep saying that but there are so many I want to do!!!!

This one will be in my basket soon though. 24 hours in a day is just not enough!!! :)

Hope you are having a bright, sunny day just as we are in the mountains today.

Lots of good plans for the weekend. I slept really good last night and right now I have Abbie staring at me in the face awaiting some playtime with her toys. ;)

Till later,

Jennifer