As it usually happens this time of year, I’ve been drawn to spending my spare time outdoors and haven’t picked up too many DIY projects. But last week, for some reason, I really fancied some cross stitch fun. I reached to my stash of assorted kits and decided to work on one I’ve been saving for absolute ages. I don’t know why, but I really liked this design, at least based on the packaging. So much so that I essentially kept it for a special occasion. Turns out, the special occasion was a random week in June. Why not! Although the set itself wasn’t perfect, I enjoyed cross stitching these feathers and it didn’t take me long to finish the whole project.

Contents of the set

As always, let’s take a look at the contents of the set, which I bought in TK Maxx for £2.99. It included a plastic embroidery hoop, a blank, white aida, a couple of needles, a threader, embroidery thread in assorted colours, and a leaflet with the pattern.

Starting off – sewing the outline of the feathers

Right off the bat, I noticed an issue with the colour of the threads included in the kit. They didn’t look anything like the picture on the packaging suggests! I always point out that this brand of cross stitch sets doesn’t put actual photos of a finished project anywhere. They always use digital versions of the pattern, with colours that differ from the thread that’s supplied.

In this case, I noticed that the three colours of blue thread, notably different in the design, were almost identical in real life. It took me a short while to decide which thread corresponded to which colour in the pattern. Once the decision was made, I was able to start serving. I mounted the aida on the embroidery hoop, found the centre of the canvas, and started cross stitching the outline of the middle feather with blue thread. Then, I sewed the pink and purple outlines of the other two feathers too. From that point, it was going to be a colouring in exercise.

Adding pink, purple and blue details

Next, I continued sewing with the pink thread that I used to outline the feather on the right, and added details on the other two feathers. I also used the purple thread to add details in the middle feather. At this point, the design was clearly coming to life. Finally, I used the blue thread which was used to outline the middle feather and added stripes on the left feather.

Adding more details

Next, I used the yellow thread to add the spots on the left feather and the stripes on the right one. I also reached for what was supposed to be teal thread, according to the packaging and the leaflet. Well… teal thread wasn’t included in the set, but there was bright blue thread instead. I added the stripes on the feather on the right.

Nearly there – adding green and purple details

Next, I used the dark green thread to sew stripes on the feather on the right and the stem of the feather on the left. I also used the dark purple to add the blocks on the middle feather. The project was nearly finished!

Final touches – pale blue blocks

Finally, it was time for my favourite thing – colouring in. I reached for the pale blue thread and simply needed to fill the gaps on all feathers. No need to constantly refer to the pattern, just a stress-free colouring exercise. There was quite a lot to sew, but I did that whilst watching the football World Cup, and had an overall great evening! And just like that, another cross stitch project was completed.

Final thoughts

Whilst I like the pattern itself, I’m a bit sad that the photo on the packaging had different colours than actually included in the set. I was excited for the pastel colours, but in reality, the final result was quite vibrant, and not exactly my cup of tea. Still, it didn’t turn out too bad!

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