How Two Birth Flowers Inspired a Collection of Botanical Embroideries

When we first moved to our home in Scotland, I wanted to create a keepsake for each of my daughters. I remembered an old tradition of gifting a newborn baby an embroidered piece featuring their name and date of birth, carefully stitched by hand to mark their arrival. My sisters and I each had one hanging in our bedrooms as children, every piece unique and handmade by different members of our family. As I began thinking about creating something similar for my own daughters, I discovered that each month has its own birth flower, each carrying its own symbolism and story.

The daisy and the poppy.

My daughters' birth flowers.

What began as a personal project gradually grew into something much larger.

As I researched the flowers and their meanings, I found myself drawing, sampling and embroidering bloom after bloom. Before long, the idea had become a collection of twelve botanical studies, one for every birth month.

Over the months that followed, each flower was carefully researched, sketched and sampled before being translated into embroidery. I wanted the collection to feel botanical rather than decorative - studies of flowers that celebrated their individual character and meaning.