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Friday, 5 April 2019

Plastic Garden. Finished artwork

At last this is finished, well almost, just got to cover the back. My plastic garden is where plastic grows among the weeds and grass. The plastic enhances the look of the garden, instead of making it a dump. Plastic can be seen in a positive way, when it is placed carefully on a scruffy grass verge, and decorated. This is the future, 100 years from now there will be many gardens and grass verges like this.

I have used a piece of green baize from a snooker table for the background. Blitzed it with scraps of fabric, wool, felt, fleece, and mesh fruit bags. Free motion stitching to hold it all down. This was difficult to do because it kept getting tangled in the sewing machine foot. I used an open toe foot, maybe a closed toe would have been better.

I have been collecting plastic bits for a while. The colours are so vibrant I don't like to throw them away. I made holes in them with a map pin so I could hand stitch into them, then stitch them onto the background.


Blue bottle tops with circles of coloured sticky back plastic on them, joined together with wire at the back and star shapes stitched onto them.

The swirls on the right are the curly parts of drinking straws. Stretch them out, cut off the straight bits, curl them round, and iron between two pieces of greaseproof paper. This flattens them.

The yellow and red plastic wheel is from a child's plastic construction kit.. Yellow wool wrapped around the spokes.

Yellow lid from a tub of gravy mix. I cut the flower shapes from sticky back plastic, added stitching and sequins. The long pieces are felt tip pens with the ends trimmed off.

This plastic wheel is from a pack of dressmaking sewing pins. The holes are already there so easy to sew embroidery thread through them. Centre is painted with nail varnish with glitter and beads added.


Plastic spoons from snack pack salad pots. I used a star shaped template to make the holes for the stitching.

The back board is bigger than the one used for the picture, to give it a border of 4.5 centimeters. Both boards are laced up this way at the back and the corners neatly stitched with matching thread. The light beige fabric I used for this came from a divan bed which a friend gave me when they moved house. I took it apart to use the wood and fabric.

I have screwed the picture onto the back board from the back. They do not show at the front because I put them in where the raised bottle tops are. The picture is firmly fixed.



 The coloured flowers were Christmas tree lights in clear plastic, I painted them with nail varnish.

The yellow wheel is another part from the child's construction kit. Wool threaded through the holes to make the triangular patterns. Weaving through the spokes around the centre, and buttons added.

I decided to join all the components up with red chain stitch so it didn't just look like they were stuck there separately. This chain gives it a life, the way all nature is interconnected. One feeds off another. The heart in the centre is where all life evolves from.





Phew, that's taken a long time to make, and a few hours to make the video, take the pictures, and write it up. I think I'm due for a rest.   ilona

18 comments:

  1. Quite a testament there Ilona.

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  2. Wow!!That looks amazing!.Ilona,you must have so much vision into what you can do with things and so much patience as well.I love how it all comes together.xx

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  3. That is just beautiful! I love all the patterns and textures.

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  4. You are an amazing recycler - and so creative! I wish I had your "eye" and your patience.

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  5. Very pretty. I love your creativity in regards to recycling items that might otherwise end up in the trash.

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  6. Hilde in Germany6 April 2019 at 04:28

    So cheerful, so brilliant colours! Your creativity and patience are amazing.

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  7. I love the textures and colors. really lovely.

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  8. Your. Garden is amazing. Love it all so much to see and admire. I really love the 6 little shells in the corner. They would love you in a art class at school.
    Have a nice weekend it looks like it is going to rain .
    Hazel c uk

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  9. Although I am not as creative as Ilona,I still try to do something usefull with any bottle tops I happen to have and Family save for me.The last 2 times I have collected a load,I have put them in the waiting rooms at the local hospital in a covered pot noodle carton for toddlers to sort out the colours while they are sat there waiting with their parents.I was pleased that last time I went there,there was a little girl playing with them!.xx

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  10. Plastic never looked so good:)

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  11. What a wonderful piece this is, and I love that you have re-purposed so many plastic items! My art guild hosts an annual recycle art exhibit every April, and this would surely win a prize! Thank you for your inspiration... time to start gathering bits and pieces I can use for a future attempt!

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  12. Hi Ilona Heidi Mayze and Oscar - your art work is very pretty and colourful. Love the heart in the centre. My two cats are out more now the weather is improving, hope your lovely cats are fine. Love Liz Amy and Benny.xxx

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  13. Goodness me, this is really attractive work. And all for no outlay. Impressive.

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  14. Truly amazing and beautiful. I love it. You have a wonderful talent for this kind of art.

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  15. I love the plastic spoons! you've definately got an eye for colours! (on 'money for nothing' this week, sarah made a light chandelier out of old cutlery bits&bibs - made me think of you as she was painting the pieces all different colours...)

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