Is was a great honour to be invited to take part in the Leeds Castle Festival of Flowers this year. As you know my work unites my love of flower and textiles, so this had to be reflected in my design.
The theme this year was ‘Ladies Day’, so I went about designing a chair for which Lady Baillie (the last owner of the castle) could sit, contemplate and create. A space of one’s own…
Firstly I set about making the felt, using the wet felt technique, from merino and Romney wool, silks and hand spun yarns. This was then embellished using machine and hand embroidery. It was then pieced together and the chair was upholstered by hand.
The chair sat upon a carpet of fresh flowers, inspiration taken from the rich tapestries from the castle. A sumptuous mix of colour and texture gave added interest and depth to the finished piece. I am delighted to say that it was very well received and I loved every minute of designing and creating my ideas.
