Goose grass as a design source for textiles...

It all started with this photo:

The photo above is a more stylised version of the more normal view I get of goose grass growing on our land :

I have used the first photo already in my post about my embroidery design in #needleworkmonday. I was happy with the result, but only told part of the story behind it. Here's the other part.

I like goose grass because it’s easy to pull even when quite dry. I actually like playing with it; after pulling it I can make all sorts of shapes but the easiest is just a circle which I then throw like a frisbee - I used to do this when entertaining the children.

One thing I found interesting reading about goose grass is that it can actually be eaten not only in salads but also a coffee substitute can also be made from it.

You can read more about its herbal and culinary uses here and here.

Please let me know if you have tried it, particularly the coffee substitute. I may actually investigate that use further 😉

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Anyhow, I was waiting as usual for one of the daughters at a doctor's waiting room, and there was a magazine I started thumbing through to pass the time. Guess what I find.

The design above appeared in the May issue of Good Housekeeping, so it’s nearly ‘brand new’. I took a photo of it and a photo of the explanation to get the name of the pattern. I do not actually read that sort of magazine unless I’m waiting somewhere and there’s no other magazine to read.

I saw the design and thought of mine and my dreams of becoming a textile designer once again began to vanish 😂 (only joking, I can still be one I know). It was a bit disheartening at the time though.

Looking closely at the design it includes embroidery and beading (sequins) for seeds; it's an 'all-over' pattern.

When I got home I did a search on the name of the fabric Hortelano fabric and found that it’s made by a company called Jane Clayton & Co. The fabric is extremely expensive for my budget anyway - at a reduced £79 a metre.

The name of the design was interesting in itself considering that the translation into Spanish of goose grass is 'Amor del Hortelano' - though in Chile we referred to this sticky grass as 'clonque' - which I couldn't find anywhere so I hazzard a guess it's from one of the original languages there.

I have always loved the web. I follow bits of information and get exactly the answers I need sometimes…

It’s sort of comforting to think that a ‘proper’ designer saw the beauty of something as simple (and common) as goose grass and the possibilities of making a pattern out of the chaos this weed grows in.

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photos by @cryptocariad unless credited to the right owner