We all love robins, our favourite garden birds. Today we are delighted to bring you two new robin-themed tapestry kits. You can stitch them for Christmas, or take your time, relax, and enjoy stitching them through the autumn months and over the Christmas period.
Last year’s little robins, Jingle Bell Robins and Starry Sky Robin, were really popular. Our first Starry Sky Robin was facing right and we’ve since added a left facing robin so you can stitch a pair. We’re so pleased to be adding more robins so that you can stitch a collection for your own home or have a good selection to choose from to stitch for family and friends.
We present our new feathered friends! Our new kits are Regal Robins and The Season to be Jolly. Regal Robins (below, left) looks great as the centre of a cushion or made into a specs case. The Season to be Jolly (below, right) is a lovely Christmas cushion to stitch for yourself or your family, or to make as a special Christmas gift.
A bit of background Regal Robins came about earlier this year while I was at home settling down to watch the coronation of King Charles on TV. I had plenty of stitching to do but I soon became distracted by activity in our front garden. I soon found myself watching not only the TV but also the antics of robins who had decided to nest in the bay tree in our garden.
The parents were constantly flying back and forth on food errands for their chicks, and within a few days I was treated to glimpses of the fuzzy fledglings hopping about under the bay tree. I started to leave little food parcels for them – porridge oats and chopped grapes – which had always gone by the time I got back from the workshop.
I started to draw robins, nice little ones, which would lend themselves to a small design. I called them Regal Robins and once I’d decided on the name there was only one option for the background colour – royal blue!
A larger Christmas cushion emerges I enjoyed both designing and stitching our new Regal Robins and my thoughts naturally turned to…more robins.
We’ve had requests for a Christmas cushion and I thought that with some adapting, our Regal Robins would make an amazing robin cushion. I enlarged the Regal Robins, set them on new branches and gave them a starry sky and a holly and ivy border. A festive tune completed the design and The Season to be Jolly emerged in glowing Christmas colours.
The Season to be Jolly is a fantastic Christmas cushion to stitch for your own home or to make for friends or family. It would be a wonderful gift if you stay with friends and relatives at Christmas.
What’s in a kit – kit contents and dimensions Regal Robins and The Season to be Jolly are ready to fly off to stitchers’ homes! The complete tapestry kits come with a bag with a colour illustration on the front and contain colour printed canvas, a black and white symbols chart for reference, stitching instructions, generous supplies of Anchor tapestry wool and a needle.
The Season to be Jolly is stitched on 10hpi double thread canvas and the printed design area is approx. 15.5″ x 13.25″ (39.5cm x 34cm).
Regal Robins is stitched on 12 holes per inch canvas and the printed design area measures approx. 7.5″ x 7.5″ (19cm x 19cm).
There is a generous border of blank canvas around the printed area to allow you to extend the design or perhaps add a personal message.
Owner of a wool mountain? If you already have lots of wool so only need the canvas of the robins tapestries – or any other of Jolly Red kits – you can choose for the ‘Printed Canvas Only’ option when you order. The price will change accordingly, and we’ll know to send you the canvas, chart, needle, and a red bag but not the wool.
We are adding the finishing touches to another Christmas design, but it’s not quite ready yet. We’ll let you know about it as soon as we can. It’s a cushion (not as large as The Season to be Jolly) and its colours are the same as those in Jingle Bell Robins, below.
We hope today’s new tapestries have got you in the mood for some festive stitching. The Season to be Jolly and Regal Robins can be found alongside our smaller robins kits and our Christmas stocking collection all in one place in the Christmas category of our website.
Update, September 24th We are delighted to add our newest robin tapestry kit, Merry Christmas Robins. Merry Christmas Robins is stitched on 10hpi double thread canvas and the printed design area is approx. 12″ x 11.5″ (30cm x 29cm).
From our sewing ladies If you’ve finished a tapestry and would like it back in plenty of time for Christmas, please send it to us sooner rather than later. Here’s a handy checklist for you to read before you head to the post office, with lots of tips and advice.
Happy stitching!
Kelly x
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