Worked this one up as a three-butterfly spray over flowers and it came out better than I expected for a single colour piece. The big one at centre-left is a proper swallowtail, wings done in heavy satin fills with fine vein lines running diagonally across each wing section. Body is a solid satin column, narrow at the top and wider through the abdomen. Theres 2 smaller butterflies too, one upper left and one right, both in a much lighter outline-only style with hatched fills inside the wings so they read as background without fighting the main one.
Four dogwood-style flowers sit between and behind the butterflies. Each bloom has 4 rounded petals done in parallel hatching lines with a small circular centre cluster. Leaf sprigs with pointed individual leaves tie the whole spray together along the lower right. The contrast between the dense satin butterfly and the lighter sketch flowers is doing a lot of work here, its the kind of layering thats genuinely hard to pull off in single-colour stitching and my standard software handles it cleanly.
Five sizes, 3.5 by 3.27 inches up to 7.5 by 6.99. Biggest is nearly square so it suits a centred chest piece or cushion panel. Stitch count sits under 17k which is reasonable for the surface area covered. A customer used the 6-inch on a black linen evening bag last month and the satin butterfly caught the light at every angle. She sent a photo and honestly it looked like a boutique piece, cant tell its machine embroidery at a glance.
Pick a smooth medium-weight fabric, cotton poplin, linen or firm canvas. On light fabric the single colour reads as a clean line illustration. On dark fabric those wing fills reflect light differently to the outline areas and thats where the design really earns its keep. Skip stretchy fabrics, the satin fills pull under tension and distort the wing shapes.
Place medium cutaway under and hoop properly, dont skip the hooping step or those wing panels will shift. Float a water-soluble topping on linen so the petal hatching lines sit cleanly. Run at normal speed except on the large wing satin fills where slowing down keeps thread columns even and prevents looping on the underside.
What people are using this design for
A starting point. The design works for plenty more than just this list, this is what folks have stitched it onto most.
- Evening or clutch bag front panelAdd the 5-inch to a black or navy linen clutch or evening bag, the satin butterfly catches light and reads as decorative hardware
- Lightweight linen blouse or shirt back yokeStitch the 4 inch run on the back yoke of a white linen blouse, visible when hair is up and the design peeks out at the neckline
- Cushion cover centrepiece for a bedroom or reading nookCentre the large size on a cream or pale grey cushion cover and add it to a window seat or bedroom chair grouping
- Canvas tote as a nature or garden themed giftUse the medium on a structured canvas bag as a gift bag for a garden lover or someone who keeps a nature journal
- Framed embroidery wall art for a botanical or nature themeStitch the large onto cotton fabric in an embroidery hoop, float on a branch or hang with ribbon as botanical wall art
- Light summer scarf or wrap edge decorationPlace the small version along the hem edge of a fine cotton or silk blend summer scarf for a subtle nature detail
- Baby blanket or nursery hoop art for a butterfly theme roomEmbroider the small on a white muslin baby blanket corner for a butterfly-theme nursery, pair with botanical prints on the wall
- Bridal party tote or cosmetic bag personalisationAdd the 3-inch to a cotton cosmetic bag as part of a bridal party gift alongside a robe and personalised toiletries
Dimensions
5 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.50 × 3.27 in | 7,923 |
| 4.50 × 4.20 in | 10,066 |
| 5.50 × 5.13 in | 12,220 |
| 6.50 × 6.06 in | 14,592 |
| 7.50 × 6.99 in | 16,942 |
Files & Formats
Eight machine formats included in one zip. Whichever your machine reads, its in the pack.
Plus a color chart for thread matching. See full format guide.
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About the artist
Reyazul Masud Riham, hand-drawing every design on this site
Every design on Re Embroidery is hand-digitized by one person. Each file gets sketched, color-matched, and stitch-tested on real fabric before it earns a place in the shop. No team. No auto-conversion from images. Just slow, deliberate work, sometimes three or four days per design.
That's the joy I work for.
The hard part is finding my designs re-uploaded and resold elsewhere. So when you buy from Re Embroidery, you're paying one real person for the file you're about to download. That matters.
