Lemon Tree House Embroidery Kit
15-25 hours, a little practice
$29.95
A flower-filled front garden
Blue Door Cottage Embroidery Kit, 8 in Hoop
$29.95
A white cottage with a blue arched door, a pink blossom tree and a cobbled path of raised garden flowers to stitch on printed cotton. Includes the rinse-out fabric, floss on a card and hoop.
Expected delivery Wed, Nov 4 to Mon, Nov 9
- Free shipping over $49
- 30-day returns
In the box
Cotton fabric printed with the design, embroidery floss in every color on a thread card and an 8 in (20 cm) hoop.
Materials and care
Cotton fabric and embroidery floss. Once it is stitched, keep the piece out of strong sun so the colors stay bright, and dust it with a soft brush. If it needs a clean, rinse it by hand in cool water and let it dry flat.
Before you start
Don't wash or iron the fabric before you start. Center the design in the hoop and tighten it until the fabric is drum tight, then sort the floss on its card so every color is easy to find.
Shipping and returns
Free shipping over $49. Arrives in 7-12 days. Shipping times and costs per country
Not what you were looking for? Return it within 30 days of delivery. How returns work
Specifications
- Craft
- Embroidery
- Time
- About 15-25 hours
- Skill
- A little practice
- Finished size
- 8 in (20 cm) hoop
- Fabric
- Cotton, printed with rinse-out lines
- In the box
- Printed fabric, floss on a thread card and hoop
About the design
This is a full, picture-like scene. A white cottage fills the circle, with a blue arched door in a stone surround and two windows with pale blue shutters and boxes of orange and yellow flowers. A tree in pink blossom grows beside the door, a black street lamp stands to the right, and a gray cobbled path leads up through drifts of pink, orange and yellow flowers. The flowers in front are stitched thick and raised, so the garden seems to spill out of the hoop toward you.
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.
The house itself is mostly flat satin stitch in whites and grays, which is quick and calm. The blossom and the flower beds are where the texture comes in, with clusters of knots and short layered stitches.
What is in the kit
- Cotton fabric printed with the design, about 11 x 11 in (28 x 28 cm)
- Embroidery floss in every color, wound on a thread card
- An 8 in (20 cm) embroidery hoop
You will also need small sharp scissors and an embroidery needle.
How long it takes
Plan on about 15 to 25 hours. It is a big, fully stitched picture, so it is a project for a few weeks of evenings rather than a single weekend. Working one area at a time, the cottage, then the tree, then the garden, keeps it manageable and gives you a finished section every session.
Finishing and display
The printed lines are made to rinse out: once you finish, rinse the piece in clean water and let it dry flat, and any line that still peeks between stitches is gone. Then put it back in the hoop, trim the fabric to about an inch (2.5 cm) beyond the frame and gather it at the back, or frame it behind glass.
If you like house portraits, the Lemon Tree House is a sunny Mediterranean companion in the same size and style.
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.
Questions
Will the printed lines show when I finish?
No. The design lines rinse out in clean water once you finish, so you can stitch over them without worrying about tiny gaps. Don't wash or iron the fabric before you start, though, or the lines will fade too early.
Do I need anything that isn't in the kit?
Small sharp scissors and an embroidery needle. The printed fabric, the floss in every color and the 8 in (20 cm) hoop are in the kit.
Is this too much for a beginner?
It is a big project rather than a difficult one. The stitches are simple, but there are a lot of them, so it suits someone who has finished a smaller kit or two and wants a showpiece.
