Stumpwork Butterflies & Moths

This specimen box contains eighteen specimens – ten moths and eight butterflies – from the order Lepidoptera. Jane’s aim was to produce a specimen box of Jewels, with complete disregard for size and proportion. She selected moth and butterfly specimens for their interest and colour — not the most familiar — and used a wide assortment of materials to interpret these insects.

This brief provided Jane with the opportunity to employ a variety of techniques to work the detached wings, from surface embroidery in lustrous silks for the Indian Moon Moth, to hand-dyed silk fabric for the purple fuchsia butterfly, and even to try stitching clear plastic for the Glasswing Butterfly.