Kit de point de croix compté « Doux nectar »

“Sweet nectar” places a large bee on a black ground among golden drops of honey.

What the picture shows

A bee with a striped abdomen and clear silvery wings sits in the centre, with two smaller ones flying above it. Yellow drops and golden specks are scattered around, and ears of grain and thin sprigs rise on both sides in a beige and gold palette. The black canvas is deliberately left unstitched: it is what gives the depth against which the gold glows. Sixteen floss colours, some of the drops worked in Czech Preciosa beads, and decorative metallic threads in the design. The bee's wings are worked in pale thread with one or two stitches, so they look transparent against the black.

What is in the kit

• Aida canvas, count 14, black
• Cotton floss, 16 colours, 20 m
• Tapestry needle
• Czech Preciosa seed beads No. 10 and a beading needle
• Embroidery hoop, 170 mm diameter, light green
• Symbol chart
• Step-by-step instructions

Specifications

• Design size: 150×150 mm (5.91×5.91 in)
• Base: Aida canvas, count 14, black
• Floss colours: 16
• Floss length: 20 m
• Difficulty: simple
• Technique: counted cross stitch

A 150×150 mm format with 20 m of floss. Work on dark canvas looks striking even unframed, though glass brings out the shimmer of the metallic thread; hoop, frame and glass are not part of the kit. Dark canvas is easier to work under bright light: the grid of the weave shows less than on a pale ground.