On the lookout

The robin is stitched over the whole background: the pale sky and the dark tangle of twigs are filled in with cross stitch, so the finished piece looks like a small painting. The chart is printed with large squares for easy reading, and the threads come already sorted on the organiser, ready to pick colour by colour.

Apart from cross stitch only a few extra stitches are needed: half cross stitch and long stitch for the fine twigs, french knots for the details, all explained in the instructions. A hoop or frame and a sharp pair of embroidery scissors make the work easier; the frame is not included, but the tall format suits a simple mount very well.