A Pile of Petals

I like the muted colours the bright poppy (the very dark, very squashed bits in the picture above) and rose petals left behind on heavy calico.

I think I need to work on not leaving hammer marks, but the irregularity does leave scope for stitching into.

Bash, Pleat, Singe and Smock

Bashing

Pleating and burning

Loose stitching and smocking

An experiment

Beating in the Colour

Natural calico pleated with leaf, bashed with a hammer, singed and plunged in water.

I like that the leaf shape is broken up but that it is clear where the veins continue. The water marking on the right hand side adds a subtle dimension.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with coloured flowers next and trying out more ideas from India Flint's book 'Eco Colour'. I like her idea of making small pockets that can be carried around to pick up colour when travelling. She suggests buttoning them onto clothing to create a changeable outfit and novel souvenir. I may be adding a hammer to my handbag...