Completed DMC Stumpwork Butterfly Kit

So, the DMC Butterfly stumpwork kit is finished!

It's a shame these kits were discontinued, even though the designs are nothing to write home about and some of the details in the insects etc shaky to say the least.  For instance, in this one, the butterfly wings were meant to be worked in padded satin stitch.  Padded satin stitch - for thin, delicate butterfly wings.  Hmmm!  The kits are fun and fairly simple to work - even though they say 'Advanced' on the box.

Here are all the wires for the wings couched onto the white fabric provided, which was first mounted in my tiny, 4" hoop - the smallest I have.  (Are smaller ones made, does anyone know?)

Above you can see the blue sections of the wings worked and below shows part way through adding in the brown edging.  From comparing the colours to my butterfly guide, I would say this was a Green Underside Blue butterfly!!

These are the finished wings, the edges done in white overcast stitch, all ready to be cut out and attached.  After they were, the piece looked like this:

Hope you've enjoyed seeing this one progress.  I just have one more of these kits to work - the dragonfly, and it's already out on my table to be started soon, although I have a card to do before that.

(PS Jules: This kit was sent to me as part of an old cross stitch newsgroup exchange game, it wasn't a magazine freebie.  I've never known a mag give away anything of this ilk!)

A tutorial is coming up for wired fabric elements for stumpwork, so look out for that on Friday, (this wasn't it...!)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013