Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle by Jane Nicholas

Often, the names given to projects appearing in our publications aim to achieve a balance between being descriptive and emotive.

Depending on who the designer is, they may have already given their piece a name, or the task may be assigned to our publishing team. Either way, one rule must be adhered to: the same name cannot be used more than once.

When you consider that we have well over 1,000 projects in our database, coming up with a unique name is becoming increasingly difficult!

One name that is certainly unique is Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle and that belongs to an astonishingly beautiful project created by a remarkably talented designer.

Jane Nicholas is best known for her exquisite stumpwork featuring meticulously detailed botanical and entomological studies. For a real treat, check out a gallery of Jane’s projects that we’ve published HERE.

The name chosen for this piece is straight up descriptive – no emotion in this one, it simply describes the three elements Jane has combined to stunning effect. Which is probably best, otherwise it might start sounding like a stage play or a jazz band:

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the stage The Magnificent Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle!

Or it might sound like a beetle with a rather long name.

In this instance, the project doesn’t need a special name, the exquisite embroidery delivers all the superlatives and hyperbole for us which is just how Jane likes to do things – keep it factual yet fantastic.

From a technical perspective, Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle is worked using a combination of surface embroidery and stumpwork techniques in silk, cotton, rayon and metallic threads.

The rich texture is further enhanced by the use of gleaming kid leather and tiny rainbow beads on the lifelike beetle.

For those who thought the title sounded a bit like a delicacy you might order as part of an exotic degustation dining experience, here is a quick rundown as to what each element in the name references:

Fritillary In this instance Jane has depicted the Snake’s Head Fritillary, a delicate flowering plant known for its distinctive bell-shaped and striking checkered petals, often seen in shades of purple and white.

Fennel Most of us are aware of this one, a feathery, aromatic herb with yellow flower heads and a mild aniseed flavour used for both culinary and medicinal uses. Also, why the title might sound a little like a menu item!

Scarab Beetle An exotic rounded, often iridescent beetle symbolically linked to ancient Egypt, this fellow is admired for its sturdy form and known for its role in breaking down organic waste.

When all three of these fascinating elements are combined, the striking chequerboard markings of the snake’s head lily form a stunning contrast to the delicacy of the fennel flowers and bronze lustre of the scarab in this elegant study.

If you’ve made it all the way down to here and are reading this to find out what the most popular project from Inspirations magazine issue #126 is, you’ve been rewarded because yes, it is none other than the Magnificent Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle. Actually, it’s just the Fritillary, Fennel & Scarab Beetle, the magnificent bit is the embroidery!

This project has been so popular in fact that all the kits have sold out, so if you are interested in re-creating this amazing piece for yourself, order a kit now while it’s on backorder to secure one before the allocation sells out.

Thank you, Jane for your needlework mastery… it’s always a privilege to publish your work.