Blackdown Ivy by Nicola Jarvis

We hope you’re enjoying our Life in Seasons odyssey so far. As we continue exploring the projects from Volume 2, this week we meet up with Nicola and Quince at Blackdown, a pretty hamlet tucked away in the rolling countryside. It is here that Nicola turns her attention to one of the area’s most familiar plants.

Ivy is everywhere - climbing walls, winding through hedgerows and creeping across woodland floors - yet it’s so common that it’s often overlooked.

In this week’s feature project, Blackdown Ivy, Nicola gives this quietly persistent plant its fifteen minutes of fame, revealing just how beautiful and characterful it can be.

Inspired by the ivy found at Blackdown, the design begins with one of Nicola’s hand-painted backgrounds, elegantly capturing the plant’s distinctive leaf shapes and twisting growth habit as it sprawls naturally across the surface.

The painted design does much of the work here, allowing the ivy to remain ever-present without becoming overpowering, and giving the piece an immediate sense of place.

Nicola selectively adds embroidery to enhance the printed design, picking out details in the leaf veins and stems to add depth and movement while still letting the painted background show through.

It’s a lovely example of print and stitch working together rather than competing for attention.

What we particularly love about Nicola’s approach is that while this is unmistakably a homage to a seldom-celebrated plant, rather than forcing it front and centre she allows the ivy to quietly do what ivy does best. It forms a delightful backdrop and sets the stage for other life forms to thrive.

Right on cue, two carefully crafted visitors arrive - a snail and a moth - each stitched using goldwork techniques and a mix of metal threads and textured elements that give them real presence.

The contrast between their richer, more lustrous surfaces and the softer ivy background is immediately striking.

The richness of finish Nicola gives to both creatures is symbolic of the vitality they gain from the environment the ivy provides, reinforcing the idea of ivy not as decoration, but as an essential habitat.

Measuring just 12cm (4¾") square, Blackdown Ivy is a wonderfully achievable piece.

The scale makes it ideal as a first foray into goldwork, while still offering plenty to enjoy for more experienced stitchers.

It’s a beautifully balanced piece that invites you to slow down, enjoy the process, and see a familiar plant in a whole new way.

Ready-to-Stitch Kit

Kits for Blackdown Ivy are now available to purchase using the link below and include everything you need to re-create this project, excluding the wooden box, giving you the freedom to finish and display the piece in a way that suits you.

Background

As this project has been stitched on pre-printed fabric, the kit includes the fabric pre-printed with Nicola’s original design so you can re-create it exactly as it appears in the book. Alternatively, you can use the pattern sheet included in the Life in Seasons 2 book to transfer the design and create your own background elements.

Instructions

Please note that instructions are not included in this kit. Complete, step-by-step instructions for stitching Blackdown Ivy are provided in the book Life in Seasons 2, sold separately.