The Monarch

Model:

  • Fabric = 28 count Cashel in Aerial by Picture This

  • Pattern size = 8.5“ x 14“ (14 ct.)

  • Stitch count = 119 x 193

  • Stitched 2 over 2

Threads:

  • All DMC

About the design:

The flower in this design is the purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), which is a common wildflower of the prairies. They are also common these days in flower gardens around the world. The roots contain a pain killer and were used by Native Americans to treat a variety of ailments.

This butterfly is the well known monarch (Danaus plexippus). Monarchs are poisonous when eaten by other animals because their caterpillars feed on poisonous milkweed plants. As adults, monarch butterflies from the entire eastern 2/3 of North America make long migrations in the fall to one tiny forest remnant in Central America. If destruction of the forests continues, designs like this may be the only way we’ll see these beautiful butterflies in the future.

Released in 2014