Watch These Hoops Magically Transform Into Floral Wreaths

By Alexandra Lim-Chua Wee, Martha Stewart

Artist Olga Prinku shows how to make something beautiful from netted fabric, dried flowers, and an embroidery hoop.
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Embroidered flowers may be one thing we can't get enough of, but what if you could embroider with flowers? Artist Olga Prinku is doing just that, and the results are as simple and dreamy as they are incredibly detailed.

Using hoops of various sizes and a collection of tiny flowers, Prinku creates delicate floral wreaths by weaving them onto netted fabric. "I've always been interested in creative pursuits like photography," says the Moldova native, originally trained as a graphic designer. "But I've never thought of myself as an artist!" It wasn't until she became pregnant that Prinku took up knitting and began selling her cozy products on the side.

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Soon, she was sharing her creations on Instagram and finding herself more interested in crafting. "I made some wreaths as Christmas decorations and got a nice reaction from my online followers," she tells Martha Stewart Living. That gave me the confidence to experiment with other things, like floral hoop art."

Now living with her husband and little boy in the English countryside, Prinku has been taking advantage of the scenic lands around her to both forage for flowers and garden her own (store-bought work too!) "It sounds like a cliche, but my inspiration comes from nature," she tells us. "Since I started the floral art, I've found myself noticing more of how leaves and flowers are constructed, and how the shapes and colors all [naturally] work together."

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Lately, she's been finding even more ways to embroider with flowers, from accenting clothes and clocks to weaving just about anything with a delicate fabric (like these tables and chairs!) "I love the anticipation of the result," Prinku admits. "I don't plan ahead, so I never know what it'll look like in the end."

Working with flowers does present its set of challenges, however. "Dried flowers are so fragile, it can be difficult to avoid damaging them. Fresh flowers are a bit easier to work with, but of course they don't last." Her tip? Find flowers that dry nicely, as they can form the base of the hoop for more weaving on top. She also uses silica gel to dry and preserve the blossoms.

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As much as we want one of Prinku's woven beauties for ourselves, they aren't currently for sale (not yet, anyway!) But the artist does share how-to's on her YouTube channel — try your hand at a wisteria floral hoop with the tutorial below:

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