At first glance, Olga Prinku’s hooped artworks appear to be composed using traditional embroidery threads. On closer inspection it’s evident that most of the ‘stitches’ are in fact exquisite arrangements of dried and preserved flowers, foliage, berries and seedheads woven into a background of tulle (think ballet tutus and bridal veils).
Looking closely and finding patterns in nature is one of the driving forces of Olga’s work. Having inadvertently invented her unique flowers-on-tulle technique several years ago – while making a festive wreath out of foraged flowers and an old garden riddle (sieve) – her craft has now expanded to include a range of beautiful designs.
Searching for materials has definitely brought her closer to wildlife and the seasons, including a burgeoning interest in plant families and lifecycles. In winter, Olga’s palette is all about “the white of snow and the reds and dark greens of the festive season” as shown in her festive wreath hoop below, a nuanced version of the flowers, plants and colours of traditional wreaths but made using just a handful of materials.
How to make a festive flowers-on-tulle wreath hoop
Olga’s hoop creation is large enough to be hung on a door or window as you might a wreath.
Materials
Buy miniature rosehips fresh or use larger foraged ones. Snippets of foraged coniferous Thuja, Leyland cypress (x Hesperotropsis leylandii) or yew (Taxus baccata) are perfect for feathery green branches. The white petals of shop-bought, rosy-purple everlasting (Rhodanthe manglesii), winged everlasting (Ammobium alatum) or pearly everlasting (Anaphalis spp.) catch the eye.
When foraging for botanical specimens, such as rosehips, firethorn berries, haws, ivy and conifers, remember to leave some for the birds.
For drying your foraged materials, they can be hung upside down, left to dry in vases, or carefully placed in boxes of silica granules.
Olga’s stand-out tool for creating her flowers-on-tulle is a pair of 12cm curved micro tweezers for pulling stalks through the holes in the net and precise positioning.
Step one
Stretch 40cm of tulle on to a 30cm embroidery hoop. Loosely tighten the screw.
Step two
Secure a 15cm embroidery hoop in the centre. Tighten the screws of the small hoop first and then the large hoop’s screws, so that the tulle is taut.
Step three
Embroider with delicate branches of miniature rosehips, foraged conifer foliage and highlights of white flowers using weaving and glueing to create a varied naturalistic effect.
Find more inspiration in Olga’s book Dried Flower Embroidery (Quadrille, £15) and at prinku.com. You can also find many of the dried flowers mentioned and Olga’s DIY hoop kits at driedandfloral.com
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Read our guide to making your own willow Christmas decorations.
