Seed Sketch Book Update

It has been a while since I featured any of my SEED sketchbook pages. It was due to be finished for The Embroiderers Guild Christmas Meal which was unfortunately cancelled due to the weather. Leading up to it I really tried to add more pages. Usually sat down with a cup of tea when I got in from work to help unwind, might be a good resolution to keep this up!

You may remember that the group theme was on SEEDS and this did prove to be difficult to get going with. I have made good progress and move from page to page with a different idea as it comes to me or if I find something to put in. I have been trying to add a bit of craft in it if I can but it was not a requirement of the sketchbook.

The crochet daisies seemed like a good idea to give another dimension to the pages. I was also learning how to make different versions of these at the time. I also had a flower punch for card making which I used down the side of the page. Sophie loved this bit!

Last summer whilst visiting my sister-in-law in Seaford I watched her gather some poppy seeds! I am an odd creature because I immediately good really excited and dashed off to find my camera!! So these are pictures that I took. These are the pods which hold the poppy seeds and I think that they are a lovely shape.

There are tiny holes around the top and it is through these holes that the poppy seeds come out. There are lots of shapes to be gained from these pictures which could be used in various ways for stitching etc.

We did carefully cut open one of the pods to see what it looked like inside. See picture on your left at the bottom of the sketchbook page. Lots of little chambers for the seeds to collect in.

I also like to put watercolour washes on the pages first to reduce the stark whiteness of the pages. It blends the pages in better and does not distract from what is being put on the pages.

We managed to collect quite a few pods with the stems and ended up with many seeds which we then used in a bread making session! The pods and stems are very hard and we thought they would travel well so I brought them back to Cornwall and I intend to have them in a vase along with some other seed and seed pod examples when the sketchbook goes into an exhibition in February, if I can get the book to the exhibition because it is taking place in Bude when I am at work!

There are still a few pages to do, but not that many. A group challenge which did not start off very well has turned out to be quite enjoyable and did get others on board who had nothing to do with the actual challenge but got carry along for the journey, such as my sister and mother-in-law who found lots of things that I could add or photograph. Even one of my birthday cards which arrived last week has plants with seeds on it so that will go into the sketchbook too!

As you look through the book I think that you can see how my approach to it has changed as I got more ideas and got used to a theme which, to be honest, did not appeal at the start.

I now need to think about a sketchbook for 2011.

xx