The Botanical Embroidery of Olga Prinku

Olga Prinku is known for her flower embroidery — a unique technique of embroidering which relies on dried flowers instead of thread, which are arranged on tulle. A designer, maker, and creator, Prinku’s background is actually in graphic design, but she’s always been a fan of arts and crafts.

According to her bio, her journey started with learning how to crochet and knit. Gradually, and after being exposed to botanical art, she started experimenting with dried flowers. She then came to develop a floral embroidery technique using real organic material as her thread – a skill she now passes onto others through classes and tutorials

“A lot of my ideas come from going for walks in the countryside near where I live, or things I grow in the garden,” she told The Italian Rêve. The garden is also where Prinku finds a lot of her materials. “I love working with the seasons,” she notes, “so whatever is in season is my favorite at that moment! Some flowers are better than others for particular purposes. For example, for floral embroidery hoops you want flowers with thin stalks and without particularly big heads. I’ve recently discovered you can dry small poppies and they seem to work well. Whereas for wreaths I like to use things like eucalyptus and olive, and I’ve started trying hydrangeas and peonies.”

While some flowers she dries herself, others she buys dried. She also forages for seed pods at the end of the season and picks them when they are dry already. “In terms of colors, it’s mostly pastel shades although currently I’m working on a red, white and blue floral hoop and enjoying how these bright colors work together!” she says.