The King of Flowers

A generous bouquet of peonies in full bloom, their petals shifting from fuchsia to lilac, from deep blue to peach, against a watercolour-like blue background. The many shades and the 66 colours call for some familiarity with counted cross stitch and with black and white symbol charts, but the result is a proper floral picture.

The fabric is cut larger than the design, leaving a margin for mounting and framing; the frame is not included. Besides the kit you will need small scissors and a hoop or frame to keep the fabric taut and the stitches even. On 16-count Aida the design is usually worked with two strands of stranded cotton.