Buttercups by Hannah Mansfield

As a needlework community we are immeasurably blessed with incredibly talented artisans who produce the most stunning projects that we have the privilege to publish on their behalf.

It never ceases to amaze us how many designers we discover who are yet to appear in our publications, and today we’re introducing you to a new face who has already made quite the name for herself.

Hannah Mansfield is a hand embroidery artist who lives near Bristol in the UK. She designs and creates embroidery to commission and teaches embroidery online and in person across the UK.

We first heard about Hannah after she won the 2019 textile open art category in the prestigious Hand and Lock competition that you can read more about on their website HERE.

Fast forward to today and it is our great honour to have Hannah debut in Inspirations magazine issue #123 with her exquisite goldwork brooch, Buttercups.

Hannah’s exquisite three-dimensional goldwork flowers showcase some truly innovative techniques thanks to her meticulous attention to detail and clever use of metal threads that elevate goldwork to a new level.

The spring-flowering buttercup, with its simple, five-petal flower and pretty, lobed leaves, makes a perfect subject for this spectacular brooch, worked with gilt and silver-plated purl threads.

Stitched onto silk organza, each petal is fashioned separately then wired and backed with gold leaf before being combined with others and a cluster of golden stamens to create each dainty bloom.

Wrapped with tissue paper, then silk ribbon, the flower stems are joined to the sparkling silver leaf and a brooch pin is added to create a wonderfully wearable, three-dimensional embroidery.

The finished brooch measures 9cm x 6cm wide (3 ½” x 2 ⅜”).

One of the many things we love about Hannah is how passionate she is about goldwork.

Buttercups is without question one of the most delicate and intricate goldwork projects we have ever published, but it doesn’t stop there.

Here are some fabulous tips that Hannah has provided about working with metal and metallic threads, which begin to give you an insight as to how much love and care she pours into her artistry:

‘When using goldwork threads with real precious metal content you should handle them as little as possible to avoid accelerating the dulling or tarnishing of the metal.’

‘A mellor is very useful for bending and pushing the threads into place without directly touching them. Pick up cut pieces with your needle

rather than your fingers. The petals and leaves need to be handled a lot once they are cut from the fabric and it is a good idea to wear a cotton glove on the hand that is touching the stitching.

When using metallic thread, keep the lengths short to avoid tangles and protect the condition of the thread. Metallic thread is delicate and easily damaged by being passed through the fabric too many times.’

You can read more about Hannah and enjoy some extraordinary close-up photography of her other projects in the article Natural Affinity on page 4 of Inspirations magazine issue #123.

If you are interested in creating your own Buttercups brooch, anyone familiar with goldwork will appreciate that sourcing some of these materials can be a little tricky. For those who prefer the ease of purchasing a Ready-to-Stitch kit, we are in the process of re-stocking this project after selling out due to its popularity, so you can use the link below to place a pre-order and we’ll send a kit out to you as soon as they are ready.

Thank you, Hannah for your sharing your remarkable creations with us, we can’t wait to see more of your inspiring stitched goldwork art.

Make Your Own Buttercups

We have all the materials you need to re-create this project yourself, from easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions to a Ready-to-Stitch kit with everything sourced for you.

*Instructions – As this kit does not include instructions, for step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to Inspirations magazine issue 123 or the Buttercups digital pattern, both purchased separately.