Stitch a Still Life

Join the Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden's Artist in Residence Mary Self as she teaches you how to stitch your own still life.

You'll create your own A4 size Still Life with a vase or a bowl containing three-dimensional flowers, fruit and/or leaves. Linen fabric will be provided in a range of colours so you can create your own background texture with simple stitches. A bowl or vase for you for your flowers and fruit will be appliqued.

Threads and fabrics will be provided but if you have something special you would like to incorporate into the Still Life you are welcome to bring it along and we can discuss how to best to use it. For example, the bowl for the cherries is from an old, embroidered doily and the cherries are red velvet. A piece of lace may look good on the table.

You may not finish completely, but you will have been taught and practised each step.
Advice and options for finishing your piece of work for display will be given.

Most suitable for 16+ confident in threading a needle.
Located in the Treehouse Seminar Room, Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā.

Mary Self is the Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden Artist in Residence 2025. The residency is from 1 February to 31 March, and she will spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Treehouse and other parts of the gardens sharing her stitched art with visitors. "Flower and plants have been depicted in art in very many ways. Some of my favourites are the simplified forms of the millefleur in Medieval tapestries, the rich Dutch Still Lives of the 17th century to the evocative gardens of the French Impressionists of the 19th century."