February Snowdrop Carpet ATCs

 

Yay! It's finally fully finished! We waited for a couple of slightly later cards to come in and then there was an additional hiccup with one of them arriving but finally I had all of the Snowdrop Carpet ATCs from February in and able to swap out. I was only able to take the photos late last night so I had to use my photo booth which is why the photos are so bright, I could have done with knocking down the exposure a little but I'm afraid I was quite tired and on a tight time limit so I didn't notice until the photos were uploaded today. Hopefully it's not so bright you won't be able to appreciate the stunning work that has gone on here. I feel like I've been waiting for ages to finally share this full collection with you. 

This is actually the biggest swap yet I believe and we had about three new members joining us as well which was a lovely surprise. Every new member brings their own style and expertise which I think adds so much to these cards when viewed as a collection. They work together but are so individual when viewed up close. 

I like the different interpretations too - some of the cards are actually very similar. Suzi and I have gone for near identical representations, and there are two cards with trees and sky and Snowdrops from a distance, and several that feature lots of Snowdrops disappearing back into the card in a triangular composition. Even so, how they have been executed, and the choice of materials used varies so greatly in each card. 

I also really enjoy Abi's card with the Snowdrops in a jug on a pretty window ledge; it's almost as if there's a story of the occupant of the house walking through a Snowdrop Carpet and being unable to resist plucking a few to bring home as a reminder - there's a story there which takes the theme just that one step further. Rather than us being the ones to see the carpet, they saw it first!

There are a lot of detached chain stitches in these cards, some filled, others not. I like the text embroidered into Sophie's card and the abstract nature of using layers of lace to portray the idea of Snowdrops in Coral's card. 

There are some lovely backgrounds as well, which are often unappreciated because you are looking at the main motif but there looks to be lots of hand dyeing or painting which make the whole piece really striking. For example the stand out backgrounds for me are Jenni's darker, moodier piece with what looks like hand dyed strips of calico fabric? The raw edges are a nice texture here too. I also like Jacquie's green card with her picot stitch leaves and perhaps a resist dyed chiffon or similar? It can be tricky trying to work out how these beauties have been created!

They've all got a lovely depth to them, especially the woodland-esque ones. You could almost walk straight into them like something out of Mary Poppins. 

Snowdrop Carpet is a charming theme (do they have Snowdrops in other countries or are they more of a British plant I wonder?) and I really feel that the Snowdrops have been done justice here with these representations. Do you have a favourite Snowdrop card or portrayal from these cards?

As always, I have updated the dedicated ATC page on my website which has the themes that have been completed and the themes that are yet to come. There are full individual photos of all of these cards if you click on the calendar image to bring them up, and below there are some super close up images of the cards for you to enjoy as well.