Knot Garden progressing
One of the original stars of the inspiration picture was a circular bed with something exuberant in it, at the centre of the garden. As you can see, I put some effort into planning where it would go, and how I would get something close enough to circular, using the gauge of canvas I’m using.
The intention is to create a sculpted Turkey Work boss, but now I have the outline in place, I think that should wait until the last moment, when everything else is done, and I’m not scrolling backwards and forwards across the frame all the time.
So I went back to the borders representing the outlines of the beds, trying to keep the design crisp and balanced, so that whatever I put in the borders can be suitably displayed. And therein lies a problem. When I sat back and looked at what I’d done, I thought it didn’t look nearly strong enough for what I was going to create.
Why, I wonder?
Well, I think it relates to a certain sameness. All the borders are the same stitch, and it makes it look less like something inspired by a garden, and more like something inspired by a drawing of a garden.
So I’ve changed the outer border to something chunkier and with a slightly different shape, and so far I think it may be working!
However neat you try to keep a cut and pruned garden, there are plants there with a will of their own. They will spread, grow creepers, blow in the wind and maybe the gardener will carelessly leave behind some pulled-out weeds… Yes, you need some natural unevenness in the garden.
I like your ‘prairie point’ border.
This is the kind of project where you won’t start to see the finished effect until it’s nearly done. Being a garden, there will always be room for the odd French knot or other little dot or dash to break up repetitive sections. Birds, butterflies, fallen petals and leaves… (Perhaps no discarded crisp packets or sweet wrappers in Kew, but who knows?) Happy gardening!
Adding the wider outer border is working well although I do like the fact that the inner ones are all the same, all ready for something exciting to spill over them. x
Catching up, time has been flying!
I too like the different outer border, rather like a strong yew hedge enclosing and protecting the box edges of the flower beds. I also think that their regularity is good. Those knot garden hedges would have been carefully trimmed to create the perfect regular frame for what lies within. They are very even in your source photograph, so go with that uniformity.
Looking forward to further progress
Love the textures. What about chenille thread?
Looks good to me.