Cross Stitch Kit "Sunbeams"

“Sunbeams” shows two cats sitting under a cherry tree in full blossom.

What the picture shows

The cats have their backs to you: a large dark brown one and a small ginger one lean against each other and look ahead. A pink canopy of blossoming branches hangs above them, petals falling and covering the ground. The palette is cool pink and lilac with one warm ginger accent in the centre. The white canvas is stitched over almost entirely, showing through only as light stitches at the top. Twenty floss colours over 51 m, with metallic threads and Preciosa beads in the design. Cherry petals lie over the crowns as separate pale stitches, and it is those that give the sense of falling.

What is in the kit

• Aida canvas, count 14, white
• Cotton floss, 20 colours, 51 m
• Tapestry needle
• Czech Preciosa seed beads No. 10 and a beading needle
• Decorative metallic threads
• Symbol chart
• Step-by-step instructions

Specifications

• Design size: 150×150 mm (5.91×5.91 in)
• Base: Aida canvas, count 14, white
• Floss colours: 20
• Floss length: 51 m
• Difficulty: average
• Technique: counted cross stitch

This is the longest-running 150×150 mm piece in the series, rated average. It is worth finishing under glass so the shimmer of the metallic thread shows; frame, mount and hoop are not in the kit. The metallic thread is used sparingly here, only on the highlights, so it does not fight the pastel palette.