Beautiful Butterflies by Martina Frank | An Education

There is great truth in the saying, ‘A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open’ commonly attributed to Frank Zappa.

As an embroiderer our minds are ALWAYS open because they have to be… there is so much knowledge to acquire, to discover, to learn, to absorb and then to implement.

When you drool through the pages in the new book Beautiful Butterflies by Martina Frank you’ll see we’ve included a little backstory for each butterfly, which Martina has depicted in breathtaking realism.

These backstories help your brain to form reference points of data that your imagination uses to wrap around complete images of wonder for you to enjoy.

This week we're featuring four of the projects you'll find in the book, all based on real life butterflies, three native to India and one ranging as far as Siberia and Europe. We’ll give you some fascinating insights both into the real insect itself and a little about how Martina goes about re-creating each one.

Get ready to be enlightened and delighted all at once…

Orange Oakleaf

Also known as the Indian oakleaf, and nicknamed the dead leaf butterfly, the Orange Oakleaf (Kallima inachus) is one of nature's great illusionists.

Close its wings and you're looking at a withered leaf, veins and all. Open them and it's a different creature entirely, a flash of vivid blue and yellow that seems almost mischievous given the disguise it was just wearing.

Found across tropical Asia from Japan to India, it favours dense, humid forests where it feeds on tree sap and over-ripe, fermenting fruit rather than nectar, a fondness that puts it more in league with the fruit fly than the average flower-hopping butterfly.

Its wings even carry ocelli, eye-spot markings that help deter predators when the camouflage alone isn't enough.

Martina has chosen to stitch the Orange Oakleaf with its wings open, capturing all the mischief of that hidden colour rather than the leaf-like disguise.

Couching, detached blanket stitch, long and short stitch, satin stitch, split back stitch and stab stitch bring the vivid blue and yellow markings vividly to life.

Malabar Tree Nymph

Endemic to India's Western Ghats, the Malabar Tree Nymph (Idea malabarica) is a butterfly built for drifting rather than darting.

Its large black and white wings, spanning up to 160mm (6¼"), carry it in slow, weak, fluttery glides above the forest canopy, a motion so distinctive it's earned the nickname paper-kite.

It lives on flower nectar, rotting fruit and decaying plant matter, and shows a fondness for forest clearings and the mid to upper story of the canopy.

Much like a state bird or flower, several Indian states have an official state butterfly, and the Malabar Tree Nymph holds that title for Goa, a state famous the world over as a laid-back beach holiday destination.

It's a fitting emblem for a creature that seems to move at holiday pace, unbothered and unhurried, drifting above the treetops.

With that much wingspan to work with, Martina used couching, detached blanket stitch, long and short stitch, satin stitch, seed stitch, split back stitch and stab stitch to capture the bold contrast and elongated, gliding shape of its wings.

Tamil Yeoman

Named for the region it calls home, the Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) holds the title of state butterfly of Tamil Nadu and is found through the woody lowland forests of southern India and Sri Lanka.

With a wingspan of just 60 to 75mm (2⅜–3"), it's a compact, quick-moving presence in the understory.

Its flight is fast, low and darting through the forest understory, though it's just as often found resting quietly on a shaded leaf. Males have a particular attraction to wet sand and, rather amusingly, human perspiration, echoing the mud-puddling habits of its Gaudy Baron cousin from earlier in the book.

To bring its rich, warm palette to life, Martina used couching, detached blanket stitch, long and short stitch, satin stitch, split back stitch and stab stitch, layering shades of terracotta and sable to match its sun-warmed colouring.

Southern Swallowtail

The Southern Swallowtail (Papilio alexanor) belongs to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, recognisable by its more angular, tailed wings. It has an effortlessly wide range, found from Siberia through Europe and up to 1,200 metres (3,937 feet) in the Himalayas.

It prefers open meadows and ridgelines over dense forest, patrolling low in search of mates, with males occasionally visiting wet areas much like the Gaudy Baron's mud-puddling habit. Both sexes share a weakness for fragrant flowers, making them useful pollinators wherever they roam.

Its embroidery called for a slightly different toolkit too. Alongside couching, long and short stitch, satin stitch, seed stitch, split back stitch and stab stitch, Martina introduced the Ghiordes knot, the only design in the book to use this particular stitch.

So, there you have it. Now you're all up to date with your lepidopterology studies for the Orange Oakleaf, Malabar Tree Nymph, Tamil Yeoman and Southern Swallowtail.

When it comes to admiring the beauty and wonder of these stitched beautiful butterflies yourself, we have two options for you:

Hardcover Book

1/. The book Beautiful Butterflies has now been released and is available to order. This hardcover book pairs some of the most outstanding photography of embroidery in a real-life setting you will ever see with full instructions, construction notes and templates for all nine butterflies.

Ready-to-Stitch Kits

2/. Ready-to-Stitch kits for all nine butterflies are also now available individually giving you the choice to either re-create one or two of your favourites or stitch the entire collection as a stunning display.

If your favourite butterfly kit is listed as ‘Available on Backorder’, it means we've sold out but are planning to produce more. Your order will be added to the waitlist, and when new stock is ready, you'll be first in line to receive one. Due to ongoing challenges sourcing embroidery materials globally, any Butterfly kits placed on backorder are currently expected to ship late February 2027.

All the links you seek are below… just a reminder that the kits do not include instructions as everything you need is included in the book.