Bear Hugs

A family portrait of three bears holding on to each other, taken from a watercolour by Hannah Dale for the Wrendale collection. The speckled background is already printed on the Aida, so there is no need to fill the whole surface: you stitch the bears and the background keeps the soft, painterly feel of the original artwork.

The design is worked in full cross stitch, with a few backstitch lines for eyes, noses and outlines; the threads come ready sorted by colour on the organiser, so no time is lost matching shades. You will also need a hoop or frame and a small pair of scissors, plus a frame of your choice for displaying the finished piece.