Birds and Blossoms Embroidery Kit, 6 in Hoop

About the designs

These designs fill the whole circle with flowers and leaves, the way a tapestry does, with birds tucked in among the blooms. The dark background shows only in the tiny gaps, which gives the colors great depth. Choose from:

• Songbird branch: a flowering branch of cream, pink and red blossom with small birds in blue, orange and red perched along it.
• Bluebird garden: blue birds among red, cream and orange flowers, with a pink bird in the corner.
• Red cap in bloom: a single bird with a bright red cap at the center, surrounded by orange, red and pale blue flowers.

All three are full coverage, so the difference is mostly in color: Bluebird garden is the brightest, Songbird branch the most delicate.

Stitches you will use

The fabric is covered edge to edge, so this is a project about filling rather than outlining. Long and short stitch builds the shaded areas, satin stitch makes the smooth, glossy shapes, and French knots and short straight stitches add texture where the design calls for it. Because every area is filled, small wobbles disappear into the surrounding stitches, which makes the finished piece forgiving.

Work the background areas first and the details that sit on top last. Two or three strands of floss cover the fabric quickly; switch to a single strand for eyes, edges and highlights.

What is in the kit

• Dark fabric printed with the design
• Embroidery floss in every color
• Embroidery needles
• A 6 in (15 cm) embroidery hoop
• An instruction sheet

How long it takes

Allow about 10 to 18 hours. The hoop is small, but every part of it is stitched, so it takes longer than its size suggests. The birds are the fun part; the leaves and petals around them are calm, repetitive work.

Finishing and display

When the last stitch is in, tighten the hoop, trim the fabric to about an inch (2.5 cm) beyond the frame and run a gathering stitch around the edge to pull it to the back. A circle of felt over the back makes it neat. The hoop hangs from its own screw, leans happily on a shelf, or can go into a picture frame. At 6 in (15 cm) it suits a shelf, a desk or a narrow bit of wall, and it makes a thoughtful handmade gift.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, and free on orders from $49. The delivery estimate for your address shows on this page and at checkout. You can return the kit within 30 days of delivery; return shipping is yours unless it arrives faulty or wrong. See delivery and returns for the details, or compare the other embroidery kits.