Wednesday 17 October 2018

My Lavender Laboratory

The transformation of lavender plant in its beauty ... - I love to admire how this happens through the seasons. This is my last harvest of lavender (I know - this late in the season, it is truly rich in flowers). The frost is announcing its arrival already, but I still keep few fresh buds on the plant with the sincere hope that they will grow, maybe even bloom?! 


Lavender is a plant of new memories to me. I know it is considered a flower of grandma's attic, but not for me. I started growing lavender less than ten years ago - when I first owned a house myself, when I had a place to grow herbs. Lavender was the first one I planted. It doesn't connect me with my past, but it is creating memories of the present. So to me, the aroma of lavender is fresh and clean. 

The colour of English lavender is truly unknown - is it lavender blue or purple lavender?! I can declare with absolute certainty that on the plant, the lavender is purple, very deep purple, with cold bluish green sharp-edged leaves. Once cut and dried, it gracefully sets its colour in dark sad blue. I love the purple happy version. I have one plant of Irish lavender that has more airy and delicate purple colour. It did not produce any flowers this year.

Every year I make different sachets for my wardrobe. This year, I created a mini-laboratory - sorting and preserving the extra seeds. My baby girl is mad about science, and she was thrilled to give me a hand in this. 


Tilda 'Bird Pond' came out with a magnificent pair of purple - these two fabric pieces clearly explain my lavender-colour dilemma. Combined with the Tilda solid 'Thristle', these help me create beautiful lavender accents. 


I chose to make the hand-embroidered lavender designs with a continental tent stitch. This was the first stitch I had ever learnt from my mother-in-law. It is very often confused with the half cross-stitch, but it creates a completely different look and texture. For the tiny lavender buds and flowers, I thought that the continental tent stitch would be perfect. 

For the draw-string pouch, I applied the design with reversed appliqué to keep the clean look and accent on the stitching. 


I layered the fabrics for the tag with a light weight batting in between, for some volume. I will bundle white shirts and blouses with it, before I put them all away till next summer.


The lavender basket I created by crocheting a jute case for one plastic box (from Mozart marzipan chocolates ... yammm). A few little silk summer scarfs will go in there. 


I think I have it all set for this coming winter. I have some few more fresh flowers to dry and place in flat sachets in between some very precious woollen blankets. It is always so nice, when I take the blankets out and spread the lavender aroma all over the room... 


When the lavender memories overpower my girls one day, I will be the creator of this annoying smell of lavender - from grandma's attic :))) And I don't mind... Everyone is entitled to creating their own overwhelming memory. 

I better put my Tablier taché and face the kitchen challenge of making Lavender and Lemon cakes - some recipe I experimented with in the fall of 2012. 

Lavender is definitely a plat of the present for me :) 


Thank you for visiting my aromatic corner today!
 Ivelina

No comments:

Post a Comment