To Be Happy

An early autumn scene: a girl cycles towards the village among poppies, daisies and ears of wheat, with a basket of flowers on the handlebars. The design relies on soft shading and 49 shades of stranded cotton already sorted on the organiser, so you spend less time hunting for the right colour as you stitch.

On 16 count Aida the stitches are small and close together, which suits the many gentle colour changes; most stitchers work with one strand and good light helps. You will also want a hoop or frame, as the piece is fairly large. Once finished it is best framed, and the frame is not part of the kit.