Blue Gaze

A face in close-up among blue petals and golden leaves: the interest of this design lies in the shading of the skin and eyes, built up from many closely related colours and a few blends of two different threads. It calls for careful chart reading, square by square, since on a face even a single misplaced stitch shows at once.

The kit comes with fabric, threads, needle and instructions: you only need to add a hoop or frame, small scissors and, later, a picture frame. Work in good light and tick off the rows as you go. Once finished, the portrait looks its best framed, ideally with a mount.