Mother’s Day Gift: Seedhead Spray Embroidery Kit by Hawthorn Handmade*

[Ad-gifted] The complete Seedhead Spray Embroidery Kit by Hawthorn Handmade is an ideal kit for beginners and those looking to practise their embroidery skills. Challenging the perception of embroidery as a fussy, old-fashioned hobby, the kit offers crafters the chance to create a contemporary design which wouldn’t look out of place in a fashionable Scandi-styled home.

The kit was provided by Lovecrafts, who have a fantastic range of embroidery, cross-stitch, sewing and other ‘thread’ crafts materials, kits and equipment available from their website. Born as LoveKnitting in 2012 and developed until their single home for all things crafty emerged in 2019, find out all about Lovecrafts, their crafting community and their ethos here.

What is included in the Seedhead Spray Embroidery Kit?

• Printed fabric pattern
• High-quality DMC stranded cotton thread in all necessary colours
• Embroidery needle
• 16cm (7 inch) embroidery hoop
• Illustrated stitch guide and instructions
• Printed pattern

What extra equipment will you need?
• A pair of small, pointed scissors
• A small, flat head screwdriver for finishing your hoop (don’t panic! – see below)
• An iron (optional, but not mentioned in the kit list)

What did I think of Seedhead Spray Embroidery Kit?

I’ve completed a number of cross stitch kits and have started embroidery designs kit several times but always given up on them because the instructions weren’t clear and detailed enough for a beginner, so I was keen to try this kit from Lovecrafts. I was drawn to the uncluttered design and unusual dark background fabric of the ‘Seedhead Spray’ kit – both of which gave it a more modern feel.

The instructions began with a very clear guide to ‘Getting started’, including a suggestion to iron the printed fabric if possible. I would say this was necessary if the fabric had become creased in the packaging – which mine had – but easily achieved as the fabric wasn’t too heavy. The next step of fitting the fabric into the embroidery hoop has previously been the obstacle that has made me give up on a kit, as it was assumed that the crafter already knows how to do this. However, the Hawthorn Handmade kit gave detailed instructions for this process, which resulted in success.

There were lots of hints and tips included with the instructions, which would be ideal for anyone who was completely new to embroidery design. These included details of how to start and finish a stitch; a guide to forming the different stitches in the design and suggestions for the display of the completed piece. This was a great idea, as it made me look forward to gifting (or keeping!) the design when it was done.

I thought the printed pattern was less clear. Each stitch type was represented by a different colour. However, the actual colour thread which needed to be used was not shown. As I wanted to follow the suggested colour scheme for the design, I had to refer back to the picture on the box alongside the printed pattern, which was initially confusing. I did combine the two successfully eventually and even felt brave enough to adapt the design towards the end of the kit, to include more of the colours which I preferred.

The fabric included in the kit was strong and stayed secure in the embroidery hoop throughout the project. The stitch guides printed onto the fabric were also very clear, yet could be covered up by the stitching so they weren’t visible on the finished product. The design stitched up fairly quickly, which is great for a beginner as it gives a real sense of achievement, even if you only do a small amount of embroidery each time you pick the project up. The completed embroidery can be displayed in the embroidery hoop – meaning that you don’t have to buy additional equipment – but could equally be framed or put into a large greeting card.

I am really pleased with the finished embroidery. I think this type of kit would make a great present. Either gift it to a crafter, to complete for themselves or stitch up the embroidery; choose a complementary frame or card and gift to any lucky recipient.

The pros: High-quality materials, resulting in a fantastic finished product for a very reasonable price. An ideal kit for a beginner, with mostly very clear, detailed instructions.

The cons: Confusing printed pattern, with the colour scheme only able to be followed by cross-checking with the outer packaging. One small issue in an otherwise excellent kit.

How much does the Seedhead Spray Embroidery Kit cost?

Seedhead Spray contemporary embroidery kit which is priced at £15.54 is currently out of stock, but you can purchase a similar kit here.  Similar kits from Hawthorn Handmade range from £14 to £20.

Review by: Sharon Corbally

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*We were sent the kit in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own.