For some interesting ideas for painting and embroidering on fabric take a look at what Debby from the Lazy S’S Farm Nursery does! This is a tale of plants and fabric combined!
As many of you know, I garden. And I regularly go on searches for specific plants that are hard to find, that I decide I need for the landscape. And late this summer was no exception. I really decided the lower meadow, which is very shaded, needed some white to back up the Lobelia siphilitica.
This is a lavender blue plant… and looks great in drifts. But, because of the shade gets a bit lost. I knew there was a Lobelia siphilitica alba. While this is not a truely rare plant, it is hard to find.. and locally impossible. The net is a friend to those on a quest!!
What, you say, does this have to do with fabric?
I finally landed on a website for a nursery that was new to me, with plants that makes you drool…
It is the Lazy S’S Farm Nursery
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/index.html
And they had the plant: Lobelia siphilitica alba, as well as some of the crosses from a few years ago that were made by crossing L.siphilitica with L.cardinalis… While many are not hardy enough to grow here one or two are. I bought both the L.siphilitica alba and a Monet Moment. They are down in the meadow, well watered in after the rains of the last two weeks.
Just so you know the plants were great- nice healthy root systems, green growing parts, and well packed…
Thankyou Debby!
So, Debby and I started talking.. she makes quilts and flannel baby blankets, which she embroiders. And she does really interesting painting on fabric, which she embroiders over. And she also embroiders on printed fabric as well. For both these she uses a fairly heavy cotton, or canvas type fabric.
She sent me some pics of things she had done, and framed. They are very different, very painterly!
Below are a series of hummingbirds that Debby embroidered. She used what she considers the perfect fabric for the project: an outdoor jungle fabric!
Astounding attention to color and detail make these very special!
The detail of the throat feathers is amazing!
Debby said white fabric is boring! She thinks people should try over painting and over-embroidering some of our fabric… So, for those of you that have an interest in expanding what you do with fabric think about it! Debby says she hopes these pictures will inspire people to use fabric in a new creative way. And we do too! So, the next time you are using fabric see if you can add paint, or embroidery, or both to the project!
For all things needed for embellishing fabric with dyes, paints, and inks. See,
The Dharma Trading Company
They have been around for ever…
I remember them in the ’60’s!
They have good products and are very reliable!
Debby used designs from:
BFC Creations
And don’t forget to take a look at the
Lazy S’S Farm Nursery!
RESOURCES:
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/index.html
http://www.dharmatrading.com/
http://www.bfc-creations.com/index.html
PICTURE RIGHTS:
The picture of the Lobelia is from the Wiki Commons.
The pictures of the embroidered and painted fabric are the property of Debby of the Lazy S’S Farm Nursery. They may not be used without her permission.