I'm on the trail of new works, inspired by my squishes of plant matter on paper or fabric. The blog header photograph is the first of these works. These two images are helping me to remember what I want to do with colour and pathways. The stitched piece is by me, an imagined water garden. The properly framed piece is by local artist Rosemary Clarke Young, a wax resist watercolour.

Stunning blue and purple hydrangeas are now out in gardens and I am hoping to snip a few blooms to add to my existing pieces. I have lovely blue florets coming to me tomorrow morning from a friend.

This is a combination of squished plant matter and some glued on bits under a synthetic see-through paper. I am ordering more tomorrow, so can let you know specifics next week. I use thinned out white glue. It probably has a host of reasons not to use it, but compared to all other glues I have tried, it does the main thing, and that is glues one thing to another successfully.

I have chosen thread colours that are similar to the colours of the plant matter that was used. There were blue hydrangea petals, red roses, small unfurled hydrangea buds that turned that dog turd yellow and some grass.  White threads and laces are also to be included.

This is a sample of squishing from last summer. I didn't use much over the winter, I wanted to see how the colours would fade out. As you will see in future posts, the colours is enough to move the stitching along. This summer I have added a few blooms and grasses to some fabrics, but not enough to make a huge change. Once the hydrangeas are added, some more grass (it has all turned brown and in Nova Scotia, that's saying something.) and hopefully some rose hips, I'll then have all I need to make up a little group of stitched bits.

I am not taking Karen Ruane's class this fall, mostly due to other commitments that need attention. The class sounds wonderful, I recommend it. Check it out. http://karenruane.bigcartel.com/product/wrapped-and-bound-in-stitch