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Blackwell Roundel Embroidery Kit

£150.00
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If you require a kit urgently, please CONTACT ME and we will do our best to help. 

The Roundel is based on the interior of the White Drawing Room in Blackwell House in the English Lake District and was originally designed as the course project for the Spring Residential Retreat offered by Lady Anne's Needlework Tours. This area was a popular holiday venue for wealthy 19th Century businessmen escaping the grime of the industrial north of England.

They commissioned architects and designers of the period to create homes in the popular Arts & Crafts style, and Blackwell House is a typical example of this style. It sits above Lake Windermere, each of its rooms, surfaces and interior features designed to reflect the surrounding rural landscape.

As its name suggests, the White Drawing Room is decorated almost entirely in white, applied over beautiful plaster friezes and carved wood, depicting local flora such as rowan berries, oak leaves, acorns, wild roses and quince. The room is a light and tranquil space, with the only pops of colour coming from the reds and browns of the rowan berry fire-guards and the turquoise tiles of the fireplace.

The Roundel’s design is inspired by the carvings in this room, and is worked using raised and padded stitch techniques on a delicate ground of translucent silk organza. The oak leaves and acorns are depicted using connected eyelets (“beading”), seed beads and chips of metal purl, with double back stitch shadow work and padded silk shading.

The rowan berries are created using highly padded silk shading with eyelets and leaves in cut metallic tubular purls, while the quince fruits are formed using shadow appliqué with pin stitch, sequins and satin stitch, with leaves in applied kid leather edged in pearl purl. The wild rose is in shadow appliqué, with a centre of pleated silk-wrapped plate (made specially for this design) and edged using silk gimps, made specially for me.

This delicate piece is designed to be stretched over an open space when complete, allowing the viewer to see through the organza ground fabric. You may like to purchase either a hand-made round wooden box, a picture frame or pivot top miniature table to display the design.

You may also purchase the Pins and Needles Workbox, created in the Arts & Crafts style to fit with the design. This includes a front aperture to contain the embroidered panel, with UV filtered ‘Waterwhite’ glass and laser-cut spacer rings to raise the glass from the work.

The drawer in the bottom include a marquetry panel showing the text ‘Pins and Needles’. A tweed-covered pin cushion sits atop a panel which lifts out to reveal a storage tray in the top.

The reverse of the box also has an opening door to give access to a storage compartment. These boxes are made specially by my cabinet-maker in Cornwall.

The feet of the box are hand-turned in steel with a blued finish by my father.

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Yvonne Dent

This was such an enjoyable stitch , I just couldn’t put it down . It seemed so daunting at first , with so many different techniques and stitches. Some I had never done before but with the detailed instructions I managed it . I loved the way the quality materials were wrapped and marked for each step of the way letting you just get on with the stitching . Jenny thinks of everything and her instructions give you the confidence to tackle even the most difficult techniques. I loved handling and working with the most expensive and quality materials some I had never used before. It was a joy .

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Niqui Cordingley

WOW, what an absolutely amazing kit. I have just finished and truly loved every moment of working on this. Such an array of techniques, some I had done before and others that were new to me. However, there were plenty of great instructions so nothing was too complicated or felt impossible. The quality of the threads and materials was stunning, they were a joy to embroider with. I am so happy with the result I achieved. Thank you Jenny for designing this beautiful piece.