A lovely day out is easily arranged

By DIANA HOLMAN

I have had such a lovely day that I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Along with two other students, I spent my day with floral designer and tutor Catherine Nix at her studio at Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle. Catherine was teaching us how to make attractive dried flower wreaths, using the wealth of colourful dried flowers she provided.

She had constructed twig circles for us on which to bind our flowers, and showed us how to make up small posies which we bound onto the twig rings with florists’ wire. All three of us were soon producing pleasing results, whilst we chatted, drank coffee and sampled a tempting array of biscuits.

Catherine, whose original career was in nursing, has many floral strings to her bow. Her monthly workshops are just a small part of her work with dried flowers, as she designs not only for individual clients, but for weddings and businesses, creating dried flower wedding bouquets, chandeliers, pew ends, archways, table centres and runners, buttonholes, hair crowns and slides. She also creates large installations for businesses and events.

Dried flower designs are not only more planet-friendly, but create lasting souvenirs to keep or to give away to family and friends.

When we had completed our designs, we all went next door to Catherine’s workshop and looked at the totally amazing store of dried plant material, with great diversity of colour, form and texture. Soft, fluffy gypsophila contrasted with bright strong colours of dried flowers and grasses, bold forms of seedheads and woody protea types. The day finished with lunch and lots of chat and laughter. What a lovely and unusual gift a workshop would make for a relative or friend, I could not help but think. Anyone living in Swanage could come over on the train if they wished to make their day even more special. The studio and workshop are just a few yards from the Corfe Castle station. n Contact via the website dorsetdriedflowers.com or call 07590 375202.