My friend Melissa and I decided to take a 30 day challenge during the month of February (plus a few days!), Melissa wanted to work with embroidery stitches and I decided this would be a good opportunity to experiment with the nature prints I have been using recently.

We set up a Facebook group which we've called 'FiveBySix Challenge' and asked a few friends to join us. It will be really fun to see how it all comes together!

I've been working in batches, experimenting with various silk fabrics, variations in techniques and testing out all the likely plants in my garden and in the local environment. The most likely candidates seem to be deciduous plants and those that have a scent .... so plenty to work with!

After the first few batches, it was clear that part of the magic of nature prints comes from the combination of plants used which infuses the print with extra color and depth. The combinations of fabric weight/density and printing technique also has a significant impact on the end result ... so I've been trying to work out the best combinations .......

After many batches and experiments I now have a nice lot of prints on the design wall .....

I've been playing with layout options and I'm currently thinking I will put the prints together in three panels of 12 (I know that'll be more than 30!) .... here's what they look like on my design wall so far ... still need to be trimmed and some need some extra stabilizer but you'll get the idea....