Natural History in the Making: new date added
**New date added: if you missed out on the April online workshop, tickets have just been released for a second date, in June**
I’ve had a few ‘pinch me’ moments in my life, but the latest came when I was contacted by the Natural History Museum in London to create a bespoke felt flower making kit and online workshop.
I have loved visiting museums ever since I was little and I’m a regular visitor to the Natural History Museum whenever I have the chance to go to London – there’s something about all that history, so many stories, under one roof that I find really inspiring. For obvious reasons it has been a while now since I’ve visited London, but I can’t wait to get back to the Museum when it reopens. Until then, having the chance to work on this project was a dream come true.
If you’ve ever visited the Museum, you are likely to have stepped into Hintze Hall, home to an amazing collection of star specimens from the natural world, including of course ‘Hope’, a 25.2 metre blue whale skeleton that currently hangs from the ceiling. Before Hope, the famous Diplodocus cast 'Dippy' resided in the Hall. But have you ever looked up? The ceiling of Hintze Hall is decorated with an incredible 162 hand-illustrated botanical panels, reflecting an era when exotic plant specimens flooded into Britain.
These panels were the inspiration for my ‘Natural History in the Making’ wreath kit, created exclusively for the Museum. Drawing on the vast array of plant specimens on display, I settled on a colourful combination of flowers and plants to adorn my wreath design – including poppies, heliopsis, aloe, orange stems – and of course I just had to add a gorgeous dragonfly to complete the display!
As part of your ticket for this event with the Natural History Museum, you will receive my wreath making kit in the post, along with a link to my pre-recorded online workshop (sent to you by email) to ‘make along’ with me on the event date. So even while the Museum is closed, you can feel united from home with others.
If you have never made felt flowers before, this event is a great introduction to felt floristry and basic techniques such as creating rolled flower centres, using felt balls and florist wire, and adding shaping to create texture. My step-by-step instructions and video tutorial will take you through everything you need to know to assemble your flowers and wreath. Find out more about what's in the kit and how to get yours by visiting the Natural History Museum website.
The next event will take place in June and you can purchase tickets now through the Natural History Museum website. ‘Natural History in the Making’ is a series of events inspired by the Museum's magnificent history, so be sure to check out the other events on offer too!
