Review from Dolls House and Miniature Scene

Kit Review - Miniature Needlework Kit

Kit Review by Ann Sutcliffe

Tapestry Frame

Miniature Needlework Kit by Thumbelina Miniatures of Australia.

This delightful little Tapestry Frame Kit comes complete with full instructions, an embroidery chart, 40 count fine silk gauze, binding tape, coloured threads and a tiny little size 28 tapestry needle. Also enclosed are the complete wooden components to construct the frame.

The first thing I always do with a black and white chart is get the coloured crayons out! It's so much simpler to follow a design if it's coloured-in, and not just those tiny little symbols. The instructions say that you should stitch the design, and when completed, damp and stretch the finished embroidery into shape. I find that frameless sewing not only allows the fabric to warp out of shape, but it can become frayed and grubby as well; also the damping, pinning, stretching and drying is a bit of a bore! My answer is to tape the silk gauze into a square of card with masking tape in order to provide a firm frame for the stitching. The design of Australian King Parrots is colourful and pretty. The embroidery uses a single thread on the tiny holed 40- count gauze; thus good light and a dark background are essential and, if you have one, you might need to use your magnifier too. I'm afraid that neat stitching is also required, as the back will be on show!

If you are happy embroidering, but unsure about building bits of furniture in which to mount your work - you have no need to worry with this kit. The precision cut and turned pieces of the frame slot together beautifully, and it's just as easy as doing a child's wooden jigsaw! In fact it's so accurate that you almost don't need glue at all - very impressive! Once the frame is assembled and varnished, the embroidery is stitched into the binding tape and onto the frame. I used single strands of the kit's leftover embroidery thread for this and, on reflection, I think fine sewing cotton might have been less obvious and bulky. If you wanted to, you could leave a tiny thread hanging down and use a sliver of metal to resemble a needle - perhaps because the lady of the house had just got up from her work and gone to discuss luncheon with the cook.

In all it took me three sewing sessions to complete the embroidery, and only minutes to make the frame. The finishing off took approximately an hour. It's not a difficult or particularly fiddly kit, and can easily be completed in a weekend - but you don't have to tell your admirers that!

The Kit

Contents of the Kit

The completed tapestry frame.

The silk gauze taped into a square card.