It feels like it’s been a while since I last posted a new cross stitch project! I enjoyed some other crafts recently – some of them, like the acrylic stained glass ornament, you can already see on the blog. A few others will be shared soon. But today, I’d like to share with you a cross stitch project featuring a bee with a floral wreath. I have plenty of cross stitch sets at home waiting for their turn, but the colour scheme of this bee caught my eye. Also, a little fun fact: a bee is the symbol of Manchester, a city in Northern England that I often travel to for work. I actually took this project with me for a train journey to Manchester!

Contents of the kit

This DIY cross stitch kit included a blank white aida, threads in assorted colours, a needle, a threader, and a plastic embroidery hoop. There was also a leaflet with the diagram included.

Starting with black elements

I decided to start sewing this project with the black parts of the bee. I located the centre of the aida and stitched the first blocks of colour with no obstacles on the way.

The bee is finished

Next, I moved on to sewing the yellow stripes on the bee. I then used the pale blue thread to sew the wings, as well as some of the flowers.

I also used the yellow thread to place all of the central pieces of the flowers from the wreath. That was the most important part of the whole project, as the centres of the flowers marked the location of all remaining elements. I tried my best to count my stitches correctly, double checking the placement of each yellow square. I almost succeeded! I later found out that one of the squares was one stitch too low. It was too late to fix it at that point, but luckily, it didn’t ruin the final result. Can you tell which square it was?

Adding blue and pink flowers

Next, I added the navy blue outline around the blue flowers, and stitched all of the navy flowers. I also added the light pink flowers. The finish line was on the horizon! At that point, I really liked the vivid, contrasting colours of the project. The colour scheme of this set is right up my street!

Final touches

Finally, it was time to sew the last few elements: the darker pink flowers and the green leaves. Everything went smoothly and the project was completed in close to no time!

Final thoughts

I’ve completed dozens of cross stitch projects by this brand. They can be a bit hit or miss – sometimes the thread included in the set isn’t the same colour as it appears in the photo on the box, or there’s simply not enough of it. This particulat set though, featuring a bee, was perfect! There was more than enough thread included in the kit, and all the colours were vibrant and distinct. I didn’t have to wonder what goes where – it was all very straightforward. The design itself was great too – I love the overall colour scheme and the contrast between all the flowers and the bee. If you’re looking for an affordable, good quality assorted cross stitch set – I definitely recommend this one!

Also see:

• DIY