Title inspired by W.B. Yeats’ line Autumn mists and mellow fruitfulness. I love the colours of autumn which for me are often accompanied by morning mists and sunny days. Sticking to my tree subject I wanted to work, in what is for me  a completely different way. I started by using pre-formed plastic shapes to piece the foreground with batik fabrics, this was because I was travelling and I needed work I could easily transport and work on anywhere! I then used some tray dyed Egyptian cotton which I printed. The whole piece is then hand embroidered to give texture and interest to the piece. It is an imaginary landscape incorporating the hard-wood forests of the mountains behind my house and my memories of the hills of the Scottish borders which turn from the purple of the heather to the most wonderful browns and oranges of the bracken and grasses. The sky has a dark and threatening feel and I left it without stitching because I felt there was already enough information. I have bound the base and three quarters of the sides in the same batik using up squares I had cut but the sky edge has just been faced.  A very labour intensive piece which suited travelling! The close up photo is not very flattering because apart from the embroidery it shows the tiny stitches where I pieced the batik…

Close up view: