We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of four brand new crewel work kits, each brimming with history, artistry, and the chance to learn from our talented tutors. All four designs will be released on November 23rd—just in time for the start of our biggest sale of the year!
1. Feller Unicorn by Kate Barlow
This regal design, featuring a Unicorn passant, is taken from a Charles II (reign 1660-1685) embroidered mirror frame, which was part of the important Micheál and Elizabeth Feller Collection and a continuation of Kate Barlow's incredible Feller Mirror Journey.
The majority of the collection was donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 2014, but this wonderful 17th-century frame remained in Micheál and Elizabeth's Upper Slaughter Manor home, finally being sold to us at auction in 2021.
The Unicorn design is part of a series of kits, including the Feller Peach Tree, which have been reimagined by Kate Barlow in raised embroidery techniques. It offers the intermediate+ stitcher the chance to experience a wide variety of exciting 'Stumpwork' techniques including Padded Long & Short Stitch, Needlelace, Burden Stitch, Padded Satin, Gilt Passing Couched Outlines, Over-Twisted Moss Stitch, Padding, Couched Gimp, and many more.
2. Dunollie Borage & Pansy and Dunollie Rose & Honeysuckle by Deborah Wilding
Created in a vibrant array of No.60 DeVere silk threads and Japanese metal thread, the Borage & Pansy and Rose & Honeysuckle designs join our Dunollie Castle Collection. Two stunning creations by Deborah Wilding, these designs are a celebration of classical Elizabethan silk and metal thread embroidery.
Both designs recreate a rare set of 18th-century embroidered fragments belonging to the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust at Dunollie Castle near Oban, and feature an ensemble of British flowers—Borage, Rose, Pansy, Honeysuckle—and a spectacular acid green leaf for balance.
A selection of stitches and techniques can be mastered with these designs, including silk shading, Block Shading, Herringbone Stitch, Elizabethan Spider's Web, Elizabethan Braid Stitch, Ladder Stitch, Surface Couching, and Split Stitch.
View the Dunollie Rose & Honeysuckle kit | View the Dunollie Borage & Pansy kit
3. Dunollie Thistle by Zina Kazban
This sparkling goldwork design of an iconic Scottish thistle has been created by embroidery tutor and artist Zina Kazban. Inspired by an early-19th-century tartan suit from Dunollie Castle, Oban—the historic seat of the MacDougall Clan—the thistle design incorporates an incredible array of unusual goldwork stitches and techniques.
The kit includes high-quality, British-made materials carefully selected to match the original artefact, with premium linen chosen for its stitchability. Through a variety of padding, couching, satin stitch, and embellishment techniques, you’ll bring this historic emblem to life.
Available 23 November
Each of these kits has its own story, drawing on the rich history of Scottish textiles and the creative vision of our tutors—Deborah Wilding and Zina Kazban. Whether you’re new to crewelwork or looking to challenge yourself with new stitches, there’s something here for everyone.
Mark your calendars for November 23rd, and don’t miss your chance to add these inspiring kits to your collection—just as our November sale begins!
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