Page 4 - smell the flowers

This is perhaps one of the simplest concepts yet, I couldn't think of another way to play with the concept of butterfly wings except to make them flapping or above the page.

As a result I didn't take a lot of pictures of the progress.

Again fabric created the main complication. The wings are made from a stretchy fabric I think meant for swim suits. I used it on the cover of a previous book.

Another problem I'd not thought through was the fact that with a very pale yellow cotton sheet background, the design on the back would show through. Normally this wouldn't be an issue as it would be covered up by the appliqued fabric, but in this instance, I realised after making my butterfly that because the wings were free of the back, you'd be able to see the design underneath. I didn't really want this, so I chose a really low hassle solution - red felt, of which I have a lot due to not being able to buy in a small quantity.

I made a flower shape and sewed it over the design I wanted hidden and embroidered some petal edges to hide what remained visible of the design. The flower is actually slightly loose from the back fabric, having been sewn down in a circle near the centre but will lay flat on the page so should do a good job of covering up the design.

I decided to put some padding in the wings which has given them a bit of a cuddly appearance but I'm quite happy with it all the same. Due to the fatness of the wings, I also ended up making the head and the end part of the body free from the cloth as it worked better that way.

On to the next page!