Inspiration:
This little winged friend was inspired by the fairy tale illustrations of Arthur Rackham in its muted pink and taupe palette and intricate detailing, Marie Antoinette in its pink pearls and diamond-like vintage rhinestones, and a hint of the Art Nouveau movement with the curving lines of it's wings.
Technique:
From my collection of silk threads, I assembled a muted palette in pinks, taupes and dusty rose colors to crochet with. The pattern of the wings was inspired by sketches in my notebook of actual butterflies.
Once the wings were completed, I began to focus on the body of the butterfly and the pattern of beads that I would eventually stitch one-by-one onto the wings. This is the most time-consuming part of the process, a series of trial and error until I find the right placement and combination of semi-precious stones, seed beads and other embellishments for the crocheted base.
In my treasure hunts through thrift stores and yard sales, I came across a beautiful, vintage, flower-shaped rhinestone button which became the focal point of the butterfly's body. This led me to choosing more vintage rhinestones to dot the wings and provide sparkle. I decided that in keeping with the already muted colors, I would keep the rest of the beads in a monochromatic color scheme and finished the wings with naturally pink freshwater pearls, pink Swarovski crystals, and rose quartz beads. The body features vintage cream-colored glass pearls and antennae beaded with a mixture of vintage seed beads.
The back is lined with meticulously hand-stitched vintage velvet and finished off with my signature hand-embroidered label.
The butterfly is now ready to land daintily on someone's shoulder, purse, scarf, or hat...
