YOU ARE PURCHASING 2 JOINED FABRIC WALL HANGINGS AS A SET, UNLESS YOU CONTACT ME OTHERWISE BEFORE PURCHASING. DRIFTWOOD LOG AND STRING NOT INCLUDED.
While these wall hangings are currently connected and sold together, they can be separated if needed, please email me what you would like. 
 
This unique wall hangings have a royal blue background to which bright orange, white and coffee brown shapes representing pressed seaweed have been added then further embellished.
 
They are long and narrow and may hang from 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 bright blue and orange would add a boost of colour to many homes.
 
These wall hangings are made from one continuous length of fabric, a second hand blue roller towel, which was effective in adding bold colour to the collection. I enjoyed turning a utilitarian everyday item into something more glamorous and beautiful. 
 
Starting with the left wall hanging (in 1st photo), the top leaf shape is cut from a heat pressed satin polyester, with prints of seaweed shapes in bold blue and orange, outlined with orange sequins. The top edge is decorated with blue organza and white open weave cotton manipulated with a technique called shibori, which is where marbles are tied into the fabric, steamed and the fabric keeps its shape. Below that is an army green leaf which is outlined and given structure with orange wool, which gives a fantastic contrast. Below is a heat pressed seaweed shape which has also been printed with real pressed seaweed. A seaweed dyed shape has been dipped in an iron mordant solution to change the colour and give a gradient, and has been outlined with a dark royal blue to contrast against the orange. I have melted plastic together to make a new 'fabric', which also has shiny thread and sequins between the layers. This adds an interesting texture to the hanging, and also comments on the plastic in the ocean. There is a heat pressed seaweed shape on an open weave cotton, and overlaid with a heat pressed shape in blue and orange. Below is a heat pressed dark royal blue seaweed shape printed with real pressed seaweed, and couched edges with a bright orange cotton yarn, interweaved with a heat pressed small leaf. The bottom is decorated with a crochet rope, made with royal blue, bright orange, and seaweed dyed yarn, crocheted with a chunky and skinny hook to vary the width. 
 
The wall hanging on the right starts with an army green cut out shape, edged with bright orange wool, leaving tails hanging to add to the seaweed texture. There is a heat pressed shape made with blue and orange dye paper, and another seaweed shape made from melted plastic, interweaved with orange wool to add texture. Below is a seaweed shape dipped in an iron mordant to give a rusty gradient, and a white cut out dyed with coffee. There is a red orange organza fabric which has been manipulated with shibori, a heat pressed fabric decorated with the structure of a seaweed leaf, a seaweed shape dyed with coffee and dipped in an iron mordant, which resulted in grey, edged with orange cord. There is another heat pressed pale blue and orange shape, and an army green leaf with bright orange wool edging. The bottom has a chunky blue crocheted rope.
 
There are grommets on the top edges so that the hangings can hook over nails on the wall, or as seen here, hung with yarn from a piece of driftwood. ​
 
Approximate measurements:
249cm decorated length (each)
27cm main width
42cm widest width
488cm middle draping fabric length (can be removed or left to drape)
 
Materials:
Cotton, recycled polyester, yarn, organza, cord, sequins, melted plastic
 
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.