Fantasy Winter Elf Fairy

A winter fairy with translucent wings, wrapped in a fur cloak and surrounded by snowflakes worked in soft shades of blue, lilac and pink. This is a large design with many colour changes and several stitches: cross stitch builds the figure, half cross stitch and long stitch lighten the wings and the snow, and french knots add the sparkling details.

Linen with 30 threads per inch is usually worked with one strand of stranded cotton over two fabric threads, so a frame or hoop and good light will help. The frame is not included: once washed and pressed from the back, the finished piece looks its best behind a pale mount. A project to take slowly, best suited to stitchers who have already tackled detailed designs.