A few years ago, at a point when I really missed my grandmother, I realized that almost everything I made featured the garden crotons that were prevalent in her yard. I lamented my inability to keep one alive in Canada, until I remembered that she neither had to buy nor water those plants because the Caribbean climate naturally took care of that.

I decided to create one in a medium with which I was not only familiar but confident that my lack of a green thumb would not be a detriment to its longevity.

Hand-felted with a mixture of carded Corriedale and Romney wools from a variety of colours, this plant was made using both wet and needle felting techniques to mimic the garden crotons which remind me so fondly of my grandmother. Whenever these leaves start to wilt, I can take felting needles to them to perk them right back up. No green thumb necessary.