23/05/2026
I’ve been working outside most of the day which has been so lovely. Amidst some gardening and watching the birds I’ve been working on various components of flowers including buttercup, peony, snowdrop and lily of the valley. I always have a lot of different elements to work on and develop, as, to me, it’s all about problem solving, and often I’ll get an idea that I have to try out immediately, just to make sure it works or not. I’ve been preparing kits for my upcoming workshop and it’s made me think about teaching after reading a review of my book.
It included criticism of why there were sometimes words and no pictures to illustrate the stages of making so I thought I would try and explain a few things.
I wrote a book because I thought there was a huge gap in literature on the art and craft of flower-making.
It was a book to inspire, not to necessarily show every aspect of what I do. What I do is is a culmination of many years of working out a personal way to interpret flowers, with my knowledge of textiles and experience as a hat maker. It was never meant to be a text book to stick to rigidly, as the way I have found out how to make has been through trial and error. It’s been a personal and sometimes arduous journey.
My book and my teaching are there to give you some basics about tools, colour, fabric and observation of flowers and for you to open your mind, and discover your own way of seeing.
