A Velvet Frog for France

Sometimes a project is simply about making something because you can’t stop thinking about it.

After spending the day at a wonderful Mister Finch workshop, I came home with frogs still hopping around in my imagination. Rather than packing for my trip to France, I found myself reaching for a piece of emerald velvet and some glorious red and gold fabric that had been waiting for the right project.

This little fellow slowly appeared over the course of an afternoon.

His back is made from soft green velvet, but underneath is a rich woven fabric full of intricate paisley-like patterns that only reveal themselves when you look closer. I love that hidden surprise. It feels a little like discovering the bright colours hidden beneath leaves on a woodland floor.

He certainly isn’t perfect. There are wonky stitches, slightly uneven seams and plenty of moments where I was wondering whether I’d ever manage to turn those tiny fingers the right way around. But somehow those imperfections seem to give him his own character.

He’s travelling with me to France as a gift for my Aunt Jane, who has lived there for many years. It seemed rather fitting that she should receive a rather theatrical frog.

Making him reminded me why I love creating things by hand. There’s something magical about beginning with flat pieces of fabric and ending up with a creature that seems to have its own personality. By the time I’d finished adding his eyes, I found myself talking to him as though he might wander off into the garden at any moment.

Perhaps that’s the real joy of textile sculpture.

Sometimes fabric becomes something that feels wonderfully alive.