Aurifil recently sent me a wonderful bundle of their FreeSpirit fabric scraps with a simple challenge: to see what I could create with them. As many of you will know, this couldn't have been a more fitting project. Making something beautiful from even the smallest offcuts has been one of the founding principles of my work. Every tiny piece of fabric has potential, and I love finding ways to transform what others might see as leftovers into something to be cherished.
As I sorted through the bundle, it struck me that the colours looked remarkably like the intricate markings of the native British moths and butterflies that fill our gardens throughout the year. Rich emerald greens, soft creams, vibrant corals, deep blues and flashes of crimson all seemed to echo the extraordinary beauty of these tiny creatures.
I've always been fascinated by the wildlife on our doorstep. It's easy to overlook the remarkable species that share our countryside, but Britain's moths and butterflies are every bit as captivating as their more exotic relatives. The more I researched, the clearer the idea became.
Giving Fabric a Second Life
The first step was to create entirely new fabric from the offcuts.
Using Bondaweb, I layered and bonded the scraps into larger sheets, carefully arranging the colours and prints. I do this with all of my tiny scraps to work with them more efficiently, it's exciting to see what colour transitions come together.
Once the fabric sheets were complete, I began cutting out silhouettes inspired by some of Britain's most beautiful native moths and butterflies. Rather than reproducing each species exactly, I wanted to let the fabrics speak for themselves, to suggest the patterns and colours found in nature. Every brooch is an individual interpretation, celebrating the character of each insect through colour, texture and stitch.
Bringing Tiny Creatures to Life
With the shapes prepared, the real transformation could begin.
Each moth and butterfly was stitched freehand using my favourite Aurifil threads, gradually building delicate outlines and defining the intricate wing patterns. Layers of stitching added depth, movement and texture, giving each tiny creature its own personality.
The finishing details are always my favourite part of the process. Using dissolvable fabric, I stitched the delicate legs and antennae before washing away the stabiliser, leaving only the fine thread behind.
Because every piece begins with a unique combination of fabric scraps, no two brooches are ever exactly the same. Each one is a small, wearable artwork with its own character.
A Fascinating Discovery Along the Way
Before I began researching them, I hadn't realised quite how different moths and butterflies really are. Butterflies are usually active during the day and tend to rest with their wings folded neatly above their backs. Moths are generally nocturnal and usually rest with their wings spread flat or held like a little tent over their bodies.
Their antennae are different too. Butterflies have long, slender antennae with distinctive club-shaped tips, whereas many moths have beautifully feathery or comb-like antennae, perfectly designed to detect scents over remarkable distances.
Perhaps the fact that surprised me most was the sheer number of moths we have in Britain. While butterflies often steal the spotlight, there are around 2,500 species of moth in the UK compared with only around 60 resident butterfly species. Many are every bit as colourful, intricate and beautiful as their daytime cousins, and researching them gave me an entirely new appreciation for these often-overlooked insects.
Inspired by the British Countryside
So much of my work begins with quiet moments spent observing the natural world, and this collection is no different.
Whether it's the brilliant blue of a Common Blue butterfly, the jewel-like greens of an Emerald moth or the striking scarlet spots of a Six-spot Burnet, these tiny creatures remind us that extraordinary beauty can often be found in the most meek places, just like the fabric scraps really.
The Moths and Butterflies of the British Isles collection will be available on my website soon, and I can't wait to share these tiny wearable artworks with you.