Crocus, Clover & Jewel Beetle by Jane Nicholas

There is a particular kind of delight that comes from looking at a piece of stumpwork by Jane Nicholas - the moment you lean in a little closer and realise the world you are looking at is not simply stitched, it is inhabited.

Leaves lift from the ground fabric. Petals have depth and dimension. And somewhere among it all, a creature sits, so convincingly rendered that you half expect it to move.

Jane has spent decades perfecting this art of botanical and entomological portraiture in thread, and ever since her first Inspirations appearance in issue #14, her work has consistently demonstrated what becomes possible when scientific rigour meets consummate needle skill.

Crocus, Clover & Jewel Beetle is a superb example of what happens when a designer doesn't just admire nature but studies it, and then translates it, with breathtaking precision, into stitch.

Inspired by medieval botanical illustration and worked onto ivory duchess satin, the design presents the purple saffron crocus - Crocus sativus - alongside the rounded buds of red clover, Trifolium pratense.

Both are rendered with Jane's characteristic combination of surface embroidery and detached stumpwork: the crocus petals individually wire-framed and stitched, cut free and reattached so they stand proud of the fabric; the clover padded with layered felt before being covered in encroaching rows of bullion knots that give each bud its dense, tactile realism.

But the jewel of this piece - quite literally - is the beetle.

A member of the Buprestidae family, one of the largest known groupings in the beetle world, the jewel beetle earns its name from a shell of extraordinary iridescent colour.

Jane captures this with or nué - a historic goldwork technique where a foundation thread is couched across the surface and coloured stitches are worked over it to create pattern and depth.

The result is an elytra of shimmering, jewel-like precision, accompanied by a pale gold leather thorax, beaded eyes, and metallic chain-stitch antennae that give the creature unmistakable presence and personality.

The finished design measures just 12cm × 7cm - almost small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, and yet dense with the kind of detail that rewards every moment of careful looking.

For those discovering Jane's work through The Handpicked Collection 6, the publication in which Crocus, Clover & Jewel Beetle appears, this is an ideal introduction to her world: technically ambitious but methodically instructed, and deeply satisfying to bring to life one element at a time.

If you’re interested in re-creating this gorgeous project yourself, we currently have Ready-to-Stitch kits available with all the materials you need included along with the hard to source elements that make this piece so unique.

Also, to discover more about Jane Nicholas and enjoy her exquisite embroidery, be sure to check out her website HERE.