Nigella & Honesty by Margaret Light

There’s something really appealing about the plants and flowers that grow in a cottage garden. They’re generally small and delicate, and many have unusual properties or interesting flowers or seed pods.

Margaret Light’s project Nigella & Honesty from A Passion for Needlework 3 | Blakiston Creamery, celebrates all of these wonderful floral intricacies and more, instantly making it a classic timeless piece that appeals to everyone, and never seems to go out of fashion.

Cottage gardens generally display a riot of colour with flowers ranging from whites and pale pinks through to dark reds and purples. Although we traditionally associate cottage gardens with the English countryside, the wonderful thing about these kinds of plants is that, with love and care, they can grow all over the place.

In this piece, Margaret has chosen two cottage garden plants for her exquisite design. The first, Nigella, is also delightfully known as ‘love-in-a-mist’. The flowers are a soft purple-blue colour with interestingly shaped petals that create a ragged, almost fluffy effect. The stalks and leaves aren’t too dense, allowing other plants to grow between them.

And best of all, when the petals of the flower wither and drop off, the little seed-pods remain, looking for all the world like tiny little fairy lanterns.

Accompanying the Nigella, Margaret has chosen the Honesty plant. Although the flowers of this plant aren’t always familiar, almost everyone will recognise the seed pods that are round, translucent and papery and have been used in dried flower arrangements the world over.

As the seed pods dry, they turn a gorgeous silvery colour looking just like the moon. Other people have decided they look like groups of coins, which is why the plant is also known around the world as the money plant, the silver dollar or the dollar plant.

Margaret’s pairing of these two plants results in a beautifully balanced composition, packed with colour and interest. At the base, she has scattered leaves cleverly shaded using Burden stitch. The eye is then drawn up the frame to the silvery seedpods, sparkling with chain stitch seeds.

The pink Honesty flower frames the pods on either side. Then, as you reach the top of the frame, you’re met with the lovely blue of the Nigella flower, flanked on either side with a fairy lantern seed pod and surrounded by airy stalks that give the entire design its unique feel.

Nigella & Honesty is worked on sturdy linen twill and uses a range of Gumnut silks and wools that are glorious to work with and give a beautiful, shimmery finish. The subtle colour combinations ensure that this project will match any room and look perfect with any décor you like.

There are so many pleasures that will arise from working this project, not least the reminder of the smells and sounds of a cottage garden in the summer that are immortalised in this beautiful design.

Make Your Own | Nigella & Honesty

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Nigella & Honesty by Margaret Light from the book A Passion for Needlework | Blakiston Creamery is a superb embroidery featuring gorgeous blooms and seed pods worked using luxurious wool and silk threads.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Nigella & Honesty includes everything* you need to re-create this stunning scene: Fabric (unprinted), embroidery threads and needles.

*Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to the book.