Paw Paw Leaf Making

Paw Paw (also called Papaya) trees grow in our garden, most often volunteering themselves via the vectors of birds or compost.

Paw Paw trees have lobed leaves with deeply indented margins. The lobes spread radially from a point like a hand ('palmately lobed'). At these inward curved spaces ('sinuses') between the lobes, the surface of the leaf blade rises up; the surface is not flat but undulates slightly. It is this three-dimensional form of the Paw Paw leaf that I am interested in creating.

Objective: create additional volume between the leaf lobes, as in a real Paw Paw leaf, to create a dimensional appliqué.

I achieved this by tracing each lobe in turn from my drawing of a Paw Paw leaf, rotating the tracing around the central point (from which veins radiate, the petiole insertion), allowing for extra space between each lobe margin and accommodating seam allowance.

Since rotating the leaf shape to create the extra volume would result in an overlap, I divided the leaf in two vertically, joining them along this seamline after sewing the veins (free-motion) and margins (faced). The completed leaf is then attached to the background, matching its outline to the original drawn leaf shape.

The result is a three-dimensional leaf upon the surface of the scatter cushion cover - true to its natural form.

Process video

Paw Paw Leaf Scatter Cushion Cover 

(Inner not included)

50 x 50cm | 20 x 20"

Botanical textile art Dimensional Appliqué

Available to purchase via email. Hand made to order. Allow 2-3 weeks.