T H E  W H A L E
 
A fish that shelters its young until the storm has passed
 
A 21/21cm hand embroidery kit printed on warm, rust coloured linen. Stitched in a rich palette of inky navy, sky blue, plum, olive and acid yellow. The design features a great patterned Whale resting in the midst of trailing strands of seaweed.
 
In Medieval bestiaries, the Whale was said to shelter its young within its mouth when storms came, keeping them safe until calm waters returned. They were also said to be so enormous that they were often mistaken for islands by passing sailors, who would make camp on their back, only to be pulled under in the dead of night as the great fish made its way back to the depths of the ocean, but that seemed perhaps slightly too sinister to stitch...
 
This embroidery kit is beginner-friendly. To complete the kit, you only need 4 basic stitches – backstitch, whipped backstitch, chain stitch and satin stitch. The kit comes with a sampler and tutorial video to teach you the stitches if you are unsure of any or all of them.
 
Included in the kit is:
 
sample pattern to learn all stitches needed
design printed on linen
2 tutorial videos
5” wooden hoop
2 needles
needle threader
skeins of coloured thread 
cheatsheet
a postcard of the finished piece
 
Stitching time: 10-35 hours (dependent on skill level)