I have had such a fun time over the last couple of weeks designing and creating these new queen bumblebee brooches for my shop.
The idea came originally from looking at the yarn leftover from my crochet kits, and wondering what else I could do with these particular colours, plus I do love to create designs that feature native British species.
I’ve been learning all about the bumblebee species that are common and less common in the British Isles. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a fantastic resource if you’d like to know more yourself and also if you would like to identify the bumbling visitors to your own garden, window box or local park.
I think we all need a little queen bee energy sometimes, so I focussed on the markings of the queen bees of each species, and these are the four I am adding to my shop:
I have tried to represent the different patterning and features of the different species. The garden bumblebee (at the top below) has a longer face than the white-tailed bumblebee, for example, which allows it to feed on deep flowers like foxgloves.
I’ve already spotted an Early Bumblebee with its lovely red tail in my Sussex garden this week, buzzing around the snowdrops and crocuses, living up to its name!
If you’d like me to make a different species especially for you or a loved-one, then do get in touch!
These brooches are part of my Brooches With Benefits range, which means that as well as being waste-reducing, plastic-free and sustainable, each purchase includes a donation to a British charity. In this case £1 of every purchase will be donated to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, to support their science-led work to inspire individuals and organisations to take action to secure the future of our precious bumblebees.
Do check out The Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s website for more ways you can support their work and bumblebees, including by carrying out a bumblebee survey and making your garden more bumblebee friendly.
I’m launching my bumblebee brooches with an introductory discounted price for the month of February, as we all need a bit of cheering up in this grey weather! Find all my #BroochesWithBenefits in my shop here:
Here are some other lovely bumblebee-themed items by small, independent businesses you might like to check out:
by Tessa Hayward
