I was pleased to find a kit by Elizabeth Bradley in a charity shop. This was a cushion front, named Cyclamen from a series called Botanical Garden. It could be made into one block for a rug, but since there was just one it became a cushion. The instructions were for cross stitch, so that is what I did, although as a cushion tent stitch would have been hard wearing enough.
The kit was thoroughly packaged in a box, with the yarn clearly separated and attached to a labelled strip. I particularly like charts, and this one was very clear. The background yarn was black, and it didn't appeal to me. The instructions said that you could return it exchanging to a different shade, but I doubt that a request some 20 years later for a kit bought second hand would have been welcomed. I searched my yarn store for sufficient substitute tapestry wool for the background, and the most suitable I could find was this green Anchor grounding wool. It had to do, but I would have preferred something paler.
The stitching was fine, with the help of the chart. Nevertheless I managed to get some green in the bottom right hand corner wrong, with a knock on change necessary on one or two others. It is not obvious unless you know about it. I do like the detail of the distinctive leaves. I omitted the name of the plant as not necessary on a single block.
Cross stitch took a long time, doing each stitch twice. I wanted to try it, and now I have. It took a long time to make it into a cushion, because I mislaid the canvas, and it took some time to reappear.
It is a delightful design, and I am very happy with the cushion. These kits are very expensive, so I am unlikely to afford another.
Stitched 25 November 2017 to 14 November 2018; finished cushion 22 August 2020
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