Owen Davies workshop

Yes, last weekend I went away to Bishop Burton agricultural college for a workshop with Owen Davies, learning how to make a 3-D embroidered garden! If you ever get the chance to go on one of his workshops ... jump at it! He is a brilliant tutor - inspiring, fun, generous, talented .. ok you get the picture .. I'm a huge fan.

For those of you who have never heard of him, this is Owen's most famous garden

It's actually even more stunning when you can see it up close - and yes, those gates really are made in wrought iron.

He had decorated the room we were working in with mood boards all around the walls and green silk covered the table on which our embroidery frames were clamped. There were huge wicker baskets filled with embroidery threads from which we could choose our colours, and a vintage suitcase filled with old embroidery magazines and books for sale.

Just a small selection of the mood boards. I chose to set my garden in autumn so chose hot shades for my flower beds.  I was thinking of dahlias, late summer daisies, berries, lilies and leaves changing colour. You get the picture from these pages taken from the journal/workbook I'm making of my garden.

This is the complete garden from which he took our design. We are working just the central motif.

Here's where I got to by the end of the weekend.

 And here's where I am now, ready to start on the topiary hedges. I'm thinking that I shall make brick walls too and put my garden inside a box.

And finally, here's a little posy for you all from my garden.