Beautiful Butterflies by Martina Frank | Introduction

As humans we have myriad triggers that are hard wired into us.

Some triggers are based on our fight or flight reflex, some are driven by emotions such as love and anger, some triggers are based on food and nutrition.

Essentially these triggers drive a behavioural response in us that is both welcome and unwelcome, deliberate and impulsive.

As stitchers it would be fair to say we are pre-disposed to have an appetite for both curiosity and technical expression. We see something that interests us and without even thinking about it our brains begin the process of breaking down our stimulus into how we might go about re-creating it in stitch.

Then there is the type of trigger that almost overwhelms us with joy when we see something so stunningly beautiful in nature, it makes you want to pick up your needle and stitch.

It’s akin to an honouring process or a form of giving thanks in recognition of seeing something that is truly breathtaking, a trigger where we yearn to replicate that beauty using a magical little talent we possess called embroidery.

And so it was for Swiss designer Martina Frank when she was first introduced to a series of remarkable photographs that Peter Smetacek, founder of the Butterfly Research Trust in Bhimtal, Northern India, took in his own backyard.

Martina chose to focus on nine butterflies and re-create each one akin to a living portrait built entirely from thread.

Threadpainting these butterflies was not only a creative response from Martina, it is also her way of preserving something the world is in danger of losing.

She meticulously studied the colours in each of these winged beauties and matched as closely as her considerable thread collection would allow. A ‘simple’ butterfly might ask for five shades. The more exotic specimens ask for thirty or more.

The end result is a remarkable collection of embroidered art paying homage to their undeniable beauty and raising awareness of the fragility of their habitats that are increasingly under threat.

Over the coming weeks we’ll showcase all nine butterflies that appear in her brand-new book Beautiful Butterflies so you can appreciate just how unique in design and diverse in nature they all are.

Gaudy Baron

Today we're going to focus on the first in the collection, the Gaudy Baron (Euthalia lubentina). Gaudy as in flamboyant and Baron as in the name given to this genus by British lepidopterists, leaning heavily on aristocratic titles as a naming device.

So in this instance it's very much a case of flamboyant by name and even more so by nature, when you consider the magnificent markings found on its wings.

Found across Cambodia and Southeast Asia, favouring the lower Himalayan foothills, the Gaudy Baron moves with an unhurried, gliding flight punctuated by bursts of fluttering, at altitudes recorded as high as 3,000 metres (9,850 feet).

Males have a curious habit of ‘mud-puddling’, gathering minerals from damp ground to pass on to females during mating, a small ritual of give and take rather fitting for a butterfly whose Latin name carries echoes of willingness and pleasure.

Martina's threadpainted interpretation captures the Gaudy Baron's rich, layered colouring through couching, detached blanket stitch, long and short stitch, satin stitch, split back stitch and delicate wire shaping to help bring the whole creature together.

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

Hardcover Book

1/. The brand-new book Beautiful Butterflies has just been released and is now available to order. Featuring some of the most outstanding photography of embroidery in a real-life setting you will ever see, you’ll think you’re looking at real butterflies. Instructions and construction for all nine butterflies are included, along with the templates for each.

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.

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.