This pair of long, narrow hangings was inspired by the sleeve bands of Chinese embroidery.  Adding a contrast of white flowers to a highly textured, dark background was suggested by convolvulus flowers (bindweed) in a hedgerow.  I decided to use indigo because the blue and white scheme would be complemented by the plates on display in the dining room, and also because using a vat dye would incur no risk of felting the knitted hedge.

The hedge background is made up of knitted strips of assorted yarns, including some synthetic.  Casting stitches on and off as the strips grew produced a more organic edge.  When they came out of the indigo vat, the yarns had taken up the dye differently to create a background of varied tones and textures.

The white flowers are made from wired silk satin, with hand stitching and cotton noil stamens in the centres. The long cow parsley stems are created from copper wire twisted together for thickness and strength, and then wound with thin strips of muslin. The seeds are tiny circles of stiffened silk in several shades of blue, including an almost white piece that was briefly dipped in the indigo.

Lengths of raffia absorbed the dye really well and these dark blue blades of ‘grass’ were perfect for weaving into the wild hedge.

The finished pieces were stitched onto a backing of two lengths of frayed silk noil fabric interlined with craft Vilene to strengthen and support the shape.