Monday 4 June 2018

Botanica in thread ....










I am so grateful that
thorns have roses 




To be able to paint a picture of flowers with threads is quiet a wonderful thing to achieve.  I adore flowers, birds, bees and nature in general.  It is all a great source of inspiration to me.  There is nothing like being in your garden or taking a walk by a river, forest or countryside to blow away your cobwebs and refresh you mind and being.

After last week and all that went on and feeling a little stressed, this week is starting so much better. The health of my dear Mum is improving and I am so happy with her new GP Practise that has started to care for her.  It is a weight off of my mind and a good wander this morning early started my week in a much better frame of mind.  Between me, my sister, the care manager, her one to one and the most patient and lovely district nurse a blood sample was taken .. now we can get her on the road to feeling better. Thank you all for your kind words and emails ... appreciated very much.

Nature and Botanical things do please me and with this time of year it has become a world of beautiful flowers and scents in the air.  It is calming and I have had a few ideas which, even when I am on a walk I have my camera and my jotter to write down any ideas that pop into my head whilst having a little wander.


In addition I love to collect from our garden just a few bits and then I press them. A few weeks ago now, on our front lawn I spotted a cluster of violets.  I could not believe it and the lawn was to be cut.  So I picked them and then I pressed them in my little woman book in between kitchen roll. As you can see on the photo at the top of the page, if you look carefully, there are two placed on the ribbon words .... I just love that they are not shredded by the lawn mower and then in a compost bin but indeed, they are saved forever.

I am working on mixed media pieces to go with the flowers that I collect and words of course but also some small embroidery pieces as well.  My love of flowers and all things botanical has grown from when I was a little girl and daisy chains that I would make and then my mum would find under a corner of my mattress being pressed and treasured ... that is when I was shown how to do it properly by her.

My latest haul from our garden is in the picture above and has now been pressed in my book for around a week.  I picked some tiny blooms from one of our hydrangea plants as well as some climbing hydrangea.  There were some berries with leaves and some rose buds along with two roses that were out amongst other things.  I love wandering around looking but if you could see me all done
up like it is the North Pole! yes the arachnids .. so scared am I that I have all sorts of fail safes ( in my head anyway) to stop them getting on me... including a conker in my pocket.  As I type this I can see how silly it seems but I honestly can not help it....

I have a book called Botanica and it has pictures of old seed packets in there and other artists and what they like to do with some flowers including paper making... It is a beautiful book to look at and a joy to leaf through I can tell you.

It is from America and I am so pleased that I have a copy  It inspires my love of flowers and I love to think about the meanings of them ... an old language of love and meanings.

I have decided to do a few pieces on flowers and some will me mixed media as I said and some with my needle and thread, along with some fabric no doubt and a button for luck.



Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.


At the moment I am fascinated with wild flowers and foxgloves, and so are the bees buzzing around them with me.  We seem to be able to share and not get in each others way too often.

I am very much looking forward to a whole day this week for design only and to get out my water
colours and have a tiny play.  Not Monet worthy but for me personally to get some ideas and then to be able to match some threads, which are hand dyed, and of course get out some of my gorgeous small print vintage fabrics that are pre loved and so tactile with history and timeworn... they are soft and beautiful to work with and so I can have a day of matching, playing, sketching and painting until I am happy with what is on the paper.  That is one aspect of the fun bits of design.  

Then it will be making it become a reality and getting tiny slow stitches and Botanica in thread!


All the flowers of tomorrow are
the seeds of today ..

So today I am about to get some things finished and so that this Wednesday I can just sit and design and play with paints, fabrics and colours ...

I hope that you all have a wonderful day today and of course as always .......

Happy Stitching! XX

6 comments:

  1. Look forward to seeing your mixed media pieces Sarah. I think our love of flowers always begins in childhood, sitting on the grass and making daisy chain necklaces and bracelets. Foxgloves always make me think of cosy country cottages like the ones in Helen Allingham paintings.
    Now your mum has the correct care you can settle your mind to sit and create beautiful things.
    I do love old seed packets and there are so many on Pinterest that can be used in lots of ways. I've printed one onto fabric and it's waiting to be sewn up and filled with lavender or dried rose petals so that it can sit in the seed tray that I painted.
    I'm so looking forward to having a garden that I can fill with vintage goodies and pretty plants.
    Enjoy your day Sarah xxx

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    1. Hello Dawn
      I think you are probably right that our love of flowers comes from childhood. The other thing is I could not tear one up with he loves me, he loves me not game .. I could not bare it! My character was already formed at birth I think. Gentle with nature and animals ... always been me, and you I believe too.

      Mum had her test last week and the results are back and all is good thank goodness so they are trying to sort her out right now without antibiotics. She has no infections right now and the other bits are working ... this doctor is good! The blood was only taken last Friday and rushed through..

      I love the seed tray idea, is that for the potting shed??

      Anyway good luck with your garden, it will not be long now I am sure. I hope your weekend went well with the little visitor ..

      Enjoy your day too.
      Sarah xxx

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    2. Great news for your mum. Yes we both care deeply about nature and animals. I have to monitor myself a little bit or I become too sensitive to everything but there's no fun in destroying a pretty daisy, as you say.
      The seed tray has featured on my Facebook page but perhaps you missed it...not destined for the potting shed. Xxx

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    3. Hello Dawn

      I need to go and have a little look at FB, I think I must have missed it.
      Sarah xxx

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  2. Glad your mum is sorted.

    Looking forward to seeing your new project

    Julie xxxxxxxx

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    Replies
    1. Hello Julie

      Mum is getting sorted and this GP is fabulous I am very pleased to say.

      Thank you Julie hopefully this week will go smoothly .. It is already June and I am lagging behind somewhat...

      Have a lovely day..

      Sarah xxxxxxxx

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