Feathers
I love exploring feathers, embroidering close ups of feathers as they appear on birds in a similar way to macro photography and when they are found as separate objects. I am a big fan of learning how to ID a bird through the feathers it sheds, each feather holds a key to identifying the bird it comes from and I love this sense of history and letting go. I love finding feathers when out and about and always see them as gifts somehow. In native american culture "The feather ... is a powerful symbol that signifies honor and a connection between the owner, the Creator, and the bird the feathers came from. It symbolizes trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom. It is an object that is deeply revered and a sign of high honor." https://blog.nativehope.org/the-feather-symbol-of-high-honor. As I stitch and develop the patterns for these feathers, I explore the symbolism of each bird. As with any creature or plant, each bird had a wealth of symbolism that I like to delve into. I often find there will be elements of the bird's character, characteristics or folklore that resonate with me at the time.