10 October 2021

Leaf Embroidery

Thank you for dropping by!

Today I am inspired by leaves. I stumbled upon the work of Hillary Waters Fayle, an artist who uses leaves as her canvas that she then embroiders to make "Botanical Stitchwork." Here are samples of her creations:

leaves, leaf embroidery, Hillary Waters Fayle, nature crafts, sewing crafts, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA
via Colossal

leaves, leaf embroidery, Hillary Waters Fayle, nature crafts, sewing crafts, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA
via Colossal

leaves, leaf embroidery, Hillary Waters Fayle, nature crafts, sewing crafts, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA, Colossal
via Colossal

I am fascinated by how she makes beautiful things out of very simple materials and how delicate her process is. You can see more of Hillary's work on Instagram.

*****

Suddenly I am reminded of my "leaf stash." In the spring and summer, I collect flowers, press them, and use them for crafts. In the fall, I collect leaves:

autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

I can't help but pick these up from the ground. I am attracted to their deep colors and graceful shapes.

autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

I put them inside an old book to press them flat.

autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

I keep them with no project in mind, just as a souvenir of the fleeting seasons and the passage of time. But Hillary Waters Fayle has changed that. It's time to try my hand at leaf embroidery:

pressed leaves, autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

pressed leaves, autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

pressed leaves, autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

pressed leaves, autumn leaves, leaves, leaf embroidery, nature crafts, sewing crafts, old book, DMC thread, needle and thread, blah to TADA

This was a fun way to use my found leaves and thread remnants from previous embroidery projects. The leaves that were extra dry were challenging to sew because they would crack when the needle went through. But I liked the graphic element that the embroidery added.

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The embroidered leaves can be framed and be turned into inexpensive art work...TADA! It's also a memorable keepsake when using leaves collected from travels.

That is how I turned some plain leaves from "blah to TADA!"

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