YOU ARE PURCHASING ONE FABRIC WALL HANGING, NOT THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF 8. DRIFTWOOD LOG AND STRING NOT INCLUDED.
 
This unique wall hanging has a pale cream background to which faded red, army green and tan brown shapes representing pressed seaweed have been added then further embellished.
 
It is long and narrow and may hang ceiling to floor. It could be ideal for adding decoration to staircases or double height spaces and adding texture to your wall. It would suit a coastal home or one with a natural theme. The muted tones of army green, faded red and tan brown would complement many home colour schemes.
 
The edge of this wall hanging is stitched with seaweed dyed wool. The top seaweed shape is dyed with coffee and is outlined in gold cord which was dissected and stitched down with gold metallic thread. The netting was heat pressed with seaweed shapes and dye paper to add delicacy. The overlaid seaweed outline was stitched round in bright red to bring out the contrasting pale green in the netting. The army green leaf was detailed with a pale orange thread to contrast and show the structure of the leaf. The faded red negative shape was outlined in faux green leather to contrast the red. The emerald green negative shape is cut from wool, and is laid over the coffee dyed leaf structure to add interest and boldness. The green and pink printed negative shape at the bottom of the wall hanging is outlined in a thick dark green zig zag to make it stand out from the background. The edge of the hanging is decorated with seaweed dyed chunky yarn, to emulate the feel and movement of seaweed.
 
There are grommets on the top edge so that the hanging can hook over nails on the wall, or as seen here, hung with yarn from a piece of driftwood. ​
 
Approximate measurements:
235cm length
27cm main width
41cm widest width
 
Materials:
Reclaimed cotton, yarn, faux leather, polyester netting
 
Cleaning advice:
Spot clean with a damp sponge if dirty
Blow with a hairdryer occasionally to keep dust free
 
Keep away from fire
 
How this Wall Hanging came to be
My collection of seaweed inspired wall hangings took shape over a number of months.
The starting point to my project was discovering a collection of pressed seaweed on postcards (see image on Home page), which had belonged to my great grandfather. Through research I discovered that these postcards were likely from the Victorian era, as collecting and pressing seaweed was a very popular woman’s hobby during this time. The colours of the pressed seaweed survived well, and I was inspired to use them as my colour palette. I wanted to base my project on a coastal theme whilst not being generic and predictable, by choosing seaweed as my subject matter, which is often overlooked for the more appreciated, prettier shells and seaside creatures. I value the fascinating natural textures of seaweed and aspired to show this through my collection.
 
I enjoyed learning new skills such as pressing seaweed, dyeing with seaweed and other natural plant dyes, heat press techniques, using bondaweb, and couching. I also expanded on my existing skills such as crochet, shibori, fabric manipulation, beading, melting plastic to make fabric, water soluble fabric embroidery and machine embroidery. I have always been attracted to dyeing fabric and used seaweed, tea, coffee, madder, goldenrod, walnut leaves, and birch bark to dye fabric and yarns, which I used to decorate my wall hangings. Having previously enjoyed pressing flowers, I taught myself how to press seaweed which enabled me to use actual seaweed in my designs. For example, I made prints using the heat press of pressed seaweed which I appliqued onto my wall hangings.
 
A major part of my project’s ethos was using recycled and scrap materials as well as ensuring the authenticity of my project by using the seaweed itself as much as possible. I aimed to create a unique and sophisticated collection of unconventional coastal wall hangings, which are designed and handmade with reused fabrics and authentic use of the subject they represent.