Chives & Chamomile by Ana Mallah

There’s something wonderfully peaceful about spending time in a garden.

From the way the flowers sway in the breeze, the gentle hum of industrious bees collecting pollen, to the delicate perfume of blossoms that fill the air - it’s as if everything is working together to encourage us to take deep breaths, slow down, and simply enjoy being in the moment.

As a herb, chamomile has always been a favourite for the same reason. With its sunny yellow centres and dainty white petals, it not only looks calming, but its well-known medicinal properties help us relax.

Pair it with the perfectly round, pastel blooms of chives and you’ve got a floral combination that’s as charming as it is calming.

Ana Mallah’s Chives & Chamomile, from her book In Bloom, takes this beautifully serene garden moment and re-creates it as a wonderfully elegant design worked using surface embroidery with delicate touches of stumpwork.

Shades of cranberry, fuchsia, and tea rose form the spherical heads of the chives, standing tall and proud, reaching for the sky. The daisy-like flowers and ferny foliage of the chamomile follow suit beneath them.

Freshly sprouted green stems and twirling leaves complete the scene, along with a delicate stumpwork butterfly, its soft cornflower blue and violet wings outstretched as it comes in to land.

This is the kind of project that makes you want to settle in, take your time, and enjoy every stitch.

In fact, there’s a nice bit of symmetry here - stitching chamomile flowers while sipping a cup of chamomile tea. Now that’s a great way to double down on the calm!

Whether you’re looking for a project to display at home or something special to gift, Chives & Chamomile has that timeless, natural beauty that always feels fresh.

For those of us who have a garden, once we’ve finished stitching this project it might just act as a little motivator to add some chives and chamomile into a flower bed or vegetable patch as a nice, ‘life reflecting art’, moment.

And just like a quiet hour in the garden, Ana’s project Chives & Chamomile acts a gentle reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is slow down, breathe, and enjoy the moment – preferably with needle and thread in hand of course!

A Ready-to-Stitch kit for this project is available using the link below along with the book In Bloom that you’ll need for the instructions.

PS – Join us next week when we’ll be featuring the companion project to Chives & Chamomile, Lavender & Seaside Daisies, which make a beautiful pair.