A Postcard from Somerset: August Aurifil Artisan Challenge

This month’s Aurifil Artisan challenge was all about celebrating summer vibes and fond memories by reimagining the postcard. The brief encouraged us to create a stitched design inspired by a hometown, a travel memory, or something special, before sending it on to a fellow maker in a special Artisan swap.

For me, summer memories are rooted close to home in Somerset. Towards the end of the summer, I often think of the butterflies flitting across fields and gardens - in particular, the Common Blue. It’s been a long time since I’ve spotted one in the wild, but its delicate wings and soft blue hues have always stayed with me.

Sketch & template created on my iPad from this beautiful book

Inspiration & Process

My design began with a drawing inspired by a vintage butterfly book - The Butterflies of the British Isles (1906) - which was passed down to me. I hand-drew my design before tracing it onto Vlieseline Solufleece, then layered scraps of vintage and new fabrics in a variety of gentle blue tones. These were fused in place with Bondaweb, ready for stitching.

The butterfly came to life through free motion embroidery, stitched entirely with Aurifil threads. I used:

• 50wt solid shades: 2605, 2830, 2775, 4241

• 50wt variegated shades: 4655, 4653, 3770, 4667, 4670

• 40wt shade: 2600

To give the wings structure and movement, I edged them with craft wire, carefully sewing it in place with a close satin stitch. This was the first time I had experimented with wire in my work, and it opened up exciting new possibilities - creating a 3D textile piece that really felt like me. I loved the effect, and it’s definitely something I’d like to explore further in future projects.

Once complete, I cut away the Solufleece and gently rinsed it out in warm water before leaving the butterfly to dry.

All the threads used to machine and hand stitch this postcard (My new needle minder came in very handy!)

Background & Details

For the background, I wanted to echo the creamy tones of vintage book pages while keeping things fairly neutral. Onto this base fabric, I added hand-stitched details using Aurifloss shade 2886, working with both two strands and the full thickness to create variation and texture.

The butterfly was then hand-stitched onto the background fabric. At this stage, I also added delicate antennae, hand-wrapping Aurifil 40wt, 50wt, and embroidery floss together before giving them subtle colour variation with Inktense pencils. These were stitched in place alongside the butterfly’s body, adding another layer of detail and realism.

Once the butterfly and antennae were secured, I assembled the quilted postcard:

• Top: background fabric with butterfly

• Middle layers: felt and a small piece of card for stability

• Backing: dove grey linen

To finish, I secured the edges with a neat blanket stitch in a variegated Aurifil thread.

A Postcard from Somerset

The finished piece is both a memory and a message - a stitched postcard from Somerset, carrying with it the feeling of warm summer days, soft breezes, and fleeting glimpses of butterflies in the meadow.

I’ve decided to use these monthly Artisan challenges as an opportunity to push myself creatively - to try new techniques, play with materials, and see where it takes me. This month, introducing craft wire and experimenting with 3D textile effects was a turning point. It felt completely natural to my style, and I’m excited to keep building on it.

I can’t wait to send this little stitched memory off to a fellow maker as part of the Artisan swap, and I’m looking forward to seeing the postcards created by others in the challenge. You can see what everyone else creates each month by taking a read of Aurifil's own blog, Auribuzz.