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The Blue Wren Étui Embroidery Kit

£225.00
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Out of stock

Why are our kits so often sold out? 

Our kits are in demand and take many hours to make. We make in small batches and keep a waiting list for each kit. To join the list, please complete the 'Email me when available' below. We will then email you with a link to purchase when the next batch of kits is ready. 

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

Once I had actually seen a Splendid Fairy Wren in Tasmania, I had to adapt the Wren Étui to create an Australian version.  This is based on the same theme as the brown wren but uses completely different techniques.

His iconic head plumage is worked on a base of deep blue Yorkshire tweed, using pleated Italian rayon tapes and the softest Japanese silk chenille.  His back is embellished with fishbone stitch feathers using iridescent blue metalling passing threads.

  The chest feathers are worked on a base of English wool baize, using layers of tiny blue sequins and interlocking pieces of blue metallic purl.  The wings are worked using padded satin stitch and whipped fly stitch in specially-made silk gimp, on a tweed ground.

  The underwings form the needlecase in buttonhole-edged wool flannel.  The tail uses silk shading in pure silk with metallic couching and stretched pearl purl.

The Blue Wren is made up in the same way as the Brown Wren, on a pre-made body form with solid bronze legs and beak, which contains a tiny cutting blade.  He also carries a specially-made sterling silver thread waxer, based on an antique one in my collection.

It is hand engraved on one face with a blue wren, and on the other with an initial of your choice.  The central shaft unscrews to allow new wax to be inserted.

  The waxer is made and engraved by my friend, clockmaker and silversmith Adam Mills. Alternatively, you could choose the smaller Bee and Skep waxer, also in sterling silver, also made by Adam.

Like his British cousin, the Blue Wren will stand happily on his own, but the same options for a mossy hillock and wooden base are on offer. You can also add a tiny gold pair of étui scissors and a glass dome for the finished piece.

Please note that this kit is for the bird only.

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  • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
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Christine Millar

This is simply the best sewing kit I've ever seen and had the delight of putting together! I actually put this together over the course of a year, doing a little bit here and there until the entire wren was together - and I can say that the kit was a complete delight! The instructions were detailed and the illustrations were incredibly helpful - and the quality of the materials can't be beat! It was never tedious and had just the right amount of different techniques to keep it interesting and not frustrating. Thank you so much - and I am excitedly waiting on the owl kit waiting list so I can make every one of these gorgeous bird etuis!

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Mrs Jacqueline R Walker

My lovely Blue Wren kit has arrived - I just need the weather to cool down here to start. But the accompanying detailed instruction booklet is a joy to read in its own right and just to look at the lovely pieces of the kit is a wonderful experience - I hope I can do them justice. I live in Spain and DHL made the whole delivery experience totally stress free - I was able to pay the various taxes due directly through them and everything was totally transparent. Since the UK left the EU these must be taken into account - but your kits and other supplies are still incredibly amazing value. Thank you

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Jennifer S

This is a superb kit, exquisitely packaged with everything arranged and labelled according when and what you need it for. It looks daunting, but the instructions are so comprehensive and are also full of tips, hints, and tricks of the trade to ensure success. As such you’re guided through every step and I feel I’m learning as well as making. I’m about half way through and am so pleased with the results so far. Thank you Jenny.

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Claire Smith

I purchased this kit after seeing it made by many people on Instagram, I was delighted by it when it arrived. It was beautifully packaging, with excellent quality materials and each step the materials were individually wrapped and labelled. The instructions were so easy to follow and the diagrams showed each step very clearly, so even a less experience embroiderer like myself could follow. I'm am so pleased with the finished kit, and I hope to purchase the base and mossy hillock as soon as they come available, so it has a proper place for the bird to sit.

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Patricia Demharter

Doing the Blue Wren was a major accomplishment for me. I consider myself an intermediate at embroidery, but sometimes I cross into the more advanced work . Birds play a major part in many embroidery pieces. Jenny brought this guy to life and fancied him up. That is what drew me in to give it a try. She has a way with her instructions that keep you going and not want to give up. She presents each part of the work in a step by step fashion which is key to a successful end.

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DeAnn Cataldie

This little bird stitched up beautifully! Opening the kit on its arrival was like opening a gift at Christmas. It was packaged perfectly. Every step was labeled and the directions were easy to me to follow.

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Martha Demere

What a delightful project to work on through this time of quarantining. I was not sure I could complete this complicated project from a kit, as my experience with kits have not been as completely clear, but your detail in the instructions and illustrations were perfection. The beauty of the packaging and detail of labeling made it a complete delight to open up and work on. It was also an important exercise for me, since I am preparing for a very complex stump work project, and this has given me ideas of techniques that will be critical to my new project.

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Mary Pitkethly

Thank you, Jenny, for the beautiful kit. I felt some trepidation before I started as I just wasn’t confident that I could do the little, blue wren justice. But thanks to your clear and detailed instructions and the exquisitely packaged kit I thoroughly enjoyed making my wren and was delighted with the end result. I have completed two other of your kits and I have been equally thrilled with the results. If anyone is thinking of trying one of Jenny’s kits don’t hesitate - you won’t be disappointed they are superb!

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Gail Thexton

Thank you Jenny for producing such a magnificently wonderful project in both the Blue and the Brown Wren. Your kits and your clear and precise instructions whether in the classroom with other students or stitching alone have got to be the world's best.
The various elements of each kit are just so exquisite and presented to such a high standard each time.
Both the wrens have been a joy to stitch and to learn from, and they will hold a proud display place in my home for future years.

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Pene DeFelice

Thank you Jenny for your informative class at the Embroiderer's Guild in Melbourne, Australia, in March. My Blue Wren is now complete made possible by the comprehensive instructions and revealing illustrations.
The combinations of threads and textures, techniques and processes have been so enlightening. Such an exquisite, artistic little bird, enjoyed every stitch.

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Catherine Thorn

Thank you so much for the absolutely exquisite kit. It's all been packaged so beautifully and thoughtfully. Everything from the instruction booklet and needlebook to the threads is so perfect. The instruction booklet is so detailed and clear, as ever, that it gives me confidence I can attempt to bring the wren to life. Thank you so much - it's going to be a real treat to work.