Butterfly Flight Line Embroidery Design, Instant Download

Three butterflies scattered in a loose cluster, each one connected to the next by a looping black flight-path line that swirls around em like a ribbon. The wings are filled with soft pink satin on the upper panels and mint teal on the lower panels, and then the black outline work lays fine lace-like detail lines across the wing faces. Its the kind of design where the detail only shows up properly once its stitched, the preview doesnt fully do it justice.

Four colours: soft pink, mint, white for a small highlight element on the wing body, and black for the outlines and the flight line. Three colour changes. Density is kept low on purpose at 373, which is what keeps the wings from feeling stiff or boxy on lighter fabrics. That looping connector is a satin column barely 2mm wide and it needs good bobbin tension to stitch cleanly. I been adjusting this one since I first digitised it a while back to get the path right, the column is thin enough that lower-quality machines sometimes pucker it slightly.

Five sizes from 3.5 by 2.52 inches up to 7.5 by 5.41 inches. On the largest size that looping swirl spans nearly the full 7.5 inches so it works beautifully across the chest of a tee or across a wide pocket on a canvas bag. A tattoo artist messaged last spring saying she stitched the large version on a black tee for her front desk and customers kept asking where she got it. Honestly Im suprised more people dont use this on bags, it reads really well on natural canvas.

Use a lightweight tearaway stabiliser on woven cotton or linen. Avoid cutaway here because the low density and thin flight-line dont need the extra support and heavy cutaway can telegraph through lightweight fabrics. Skip jersey for the small size, the wing fills are too open at 3.5 inches to hold their shape on stretch. Pair with cream or white for a summer feel, black linen or charcoal canvas for something more dramatic.