Ladybird, Ladybird by Trish Burr

Ladybirds are one of those wonderful little gifts we have in our world that are a treasured find. 

Whether you believe they bring you good luck, you benefit from their voracious appetite to rid your garden of aphids, or they simply bring a smile to your face as you admire their delicate beauty, we can all agree the world is a better place with ladybirds in it.

When South African designer extraordinaire Trish Burr set out to create a series of gorgeous, embroidered portraits depicting some of the world’s most favourite insects and bugs, adding a ladybird to the line-up was an easy pick.

This fabulous project is now available as a Ready-to-Stitch kit with full colour instructions included along with the design pre-printed on the fabric. You can also purchase the project instructions in print or as a digital PDF file to download.

Ladybird, Ladybird, is worked with stranded cotton onto fine white linen using Trish’s trademark technique, whitework with colour. 

In this piece Trish has accurately captured every aspect of this astonishing insect including her glossy red elytra studded with coal black spots along with some fantasy flora added for embellishment. 

The finished design measures 9.5cm x 12cm wide (3 ¾” x 4 ¾”) and is a companion piece to Trish’s previously released project Bumblebee. Keep an eye out for Trish’s third design in this series that is scheduled for release along with Inspirations magazine issue #125.

For now, we’ll leave you with the famous Ladybird, Ladybird poem that, if you have never read it before, probably requires a content warning – it’s quite a dramatic tale! Like many vintage children’s fairytales, it deals with dark themes but luckily does end on a happy note, thanks to some quick thinking by little Ann.

If you do re-create your own Ladybird, Ladybird, perhaps you might consider calling her Ann, in honour of her miraculous survival!

Ladybird, ladybird,
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire
And your children all gone;
All except one
And that’s little Ann,
And she has crept under
The warming pan.

All the materials you need to re-create this project have been sourced for you in our Ready-to-Stitch kit. The design comes pre-printed on the fabric and, as this project is part of our Handpicked range, the kit includes the printed instructions.