POETRY OF PLANTS

POETRY OF PLANTS. OUR CONVERSATION WITH MARTA FROM NEST

Photo: Soft shades of hand-dyed silk

It's just noticing what nature gives us so freely. And I find a relief and inspiration in this, that I don't have to strive. I don't have to work something out. It's already there.

the petals are falling. The seasons are changing. You know, weather is different every day. So I am not resenting it or fighting it.

Photo: Natural dye bath created from pine cones gathered on my town walk

EXPLORING SOMETHING NEW

I'm honoured to explore this new format through a dialogue with my dear friend Marta, as part of her beautiful NEST series.

This is a recording of the conversations and quiet practices that shape my creative life—rooted in slowness, in plants, in paying attention.

Here, you’ll find reflections on hand-dyeing, seasonal living, gathered materials, and the evolving relationship between creativity and land. I hope it feels like a gentle pause, an invitation to return to what matters. Let me know what your thoughts are...

To listen to our full conversation, join me on YouTube. Can you share your thoughts on what daily creativity means to you? What helps you walk this path? and what treasures you find there?

Photo: Peach and Pink shades achieved from natural dyes( madder and cutch)

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MINT IN WET FELTING

HOW I USE MINT FIBRES IN WET FELTING

WHERE THE STORY BEGINS

My childhood summer days in my home country of Ukraine were filled with lazy daydreaming at our summer cottage on the river. I observed my family throwing a big bunch of freshly rinsed mint leaves into our tea pot and savouring the refreshing taste and lovely aroma. Mint grew wildly in the shade among the flower beds there and was not demanding or needing any special attention from any of us.

As an adult living now in the UK, I’ve come to equally enjoy the taste of mint in a chilled mojito, or as an accompaniment to all sorts of savoury and sweet dishes.

My utter surprise, far from the kitchen, was when I found mint fibres extracted from peppermint leaves in the wet felting materials and supplies. The fibres looked like nothing I expected - very natural, sheen, soft to touch and almost light golden in the sun.

MINT AS WE ALL KNOW IT

Mint herb is a plant that has been widely used for centuries for its medicinal, culinary, and aromatic properties.

Mint has a distinctive physical appearance, with bright green leaves that are slightly fuzzy to the touch. The leaves are oval-shaped with uneven edges, and they often grow in pairs opposite each other on the stem. Mint plants can grow quite tall, with some varieties reaching up to three feet in height.

Yet it’s the scent which is the most amazing, memorable feature. Mint herb has a refreshing and invigorating aroma that is instantly recognisable. The scent is cool and crisp, with a slight sweetness and a hint of spice. Simply crushing a few mint leaves in your hand can release a burst of fragrance that can instantly uplift your mood and refresh your senses.

AMAZING WET FELTING RESULTS

When adding mint fibres to your wet felting project, it's important to keep in mind that natural fibres do not bond well with the other fibres in the felted material. They can be blended and even mixed up with small amounts of other fibres if you prefer beforehand.

However, wool always acts like a glue and your layout should have the wool of your choice as a base layer. The choice how it is laid is yours- in finer strands or in a thicker layout depending on the goal in mind but fibres always bond to wool due to its amazing unique properties of wool itself.

The following photo shows strands of tactile mint fibres spread on the fine merino wool layer covering it completely.

Here in the next photo you can see the wool and fibres are sprayed with look warm water and soap, the basic elements of wet felting. The wet felting process begins.

To continue mint fibres and wool are rubbed gently and starting to shrink a bit leaving very beautiful streams on the surface of my project.

UNEXPECTED OUTCOME

The project is fulling further and we see the result of mint fibres incorporated into merino wool and the base layer of fabric I used. It is my sample for the future clothes item coming up soon. I want to hold it in my hands before I proceed any further planning it all out which is a great idea for knowing your shrinkage as well.

I love its delicate texture, very versatile feel and flexibility in my materials used.

Thank you for staying with me and reading this till the end. I hope you find it useful for the projects you do.

Stay tuned to see how it turns out and what part of my wardrobe this item becomes. Please, sign up to my updates not to miss out anything that is coming up. :)

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If you want to explore luxurious natural fibres through the tactile art of wet felting, feel free to get in touch and contact me via email for your online experience session. I am more than happy to help.

As always, stay safe and enjoy, Tanya x