Heart of Blossoms Blanket

Blossoms and forget-me-nots entwined on a heart full of love - this beautiful, soft wool blanket, would make a lovely gift to be treasured.

MATERIALS
• 80cm x 100cm (3l 1/2in x 39in) cream wool blanketing
• 105cm x 125cm (41in x 49in) warm white fabric for lining
• Watercolours by Caron: one skein of rose quartz (031)
• Appletons 2 ply crewel wool: One skein each of very light cornflower (461), very light autumn yellow (471), very light heraldic gold (841)
• Gumnut Blossoms Wool Yarn: very very light raspberry (050), light raspberry (052), medium sage green (625)
• Gumnut 'Jewels' Silk Thread: one skein of amethyst light
• Gumnut 'Buds" Silk Thread: one skein of light sage green (543) one skein of 564
• Madeira Silk Thread: one packet each of sage green (1510), golden brown (2210)
• YLI Silk Floss: one packet of rose pink (190)
• 3m (3 1/4yd) No 000 piping cord
• 3m x 15mm (3 1/4yd x 1/2in) pink satin bias binding
• No 24 and No 22 chenille needle
• No 7 crewel needle
• No 1 milliner's (straw) needle
• Tracing paper
• Blue water-soluble marking pen

DESIGN SIZE
22cm x 24.5cm (8 1/2in x 9 1/2in)

STITCHES USED
Bullion knot, colonial knot, couching, fly stitch, French knot, granito, lazy daisy stitch, pistil stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch

PREPARATION
Trace the outline of the heart from the pattern sheet onto the tracing paper, marking in the placements of the flowers with a cross. Pin the traced heart onto the centre of the blanket and tack around the outline, using a coloured thread. Tear the tracing paper away, being careful not to pull the tacking stitches loose.

EMBROIDERY
Heart: Using one strand of rose quartz (031) in the No 24 chenille needle, stem-stitch the outline of the heart.
Blossoms: Each petal is a granito stitch of six to seven stitches, using two strands of very very light raspberry (050) threaded in the No 22 chenille needle. Add a fly stitch and then a straight stitch at the tip of each petal using one strand of light raspberry (052) in the same needle. Stitch three straight stitches from the centre to the tip of each petal with one strand of rose pink (190) in the No 7 crewel needle, to give highlights to each petal. To fill the centre of the blossom, stitch two-wrap French knots in a combination of one strand of very light autumn yellow (471) or very light heraldic gold (841) with one strand of golden brown (2210) using the No 7 crewel needle.
Stems: The stems are stitched with one strand of medium sage green (625) couched down with the same thread in the No 22 chenille needle. They are then whipped with one strand of sage green (1510) using the No 7 crewel needle.
Buds: The main part of the bud is made up of a granito of five stitches using one strand of very very light raspberry (050), and one strand of light raspberry (052) both threaded in the No 22 chenille needle. The sepals are stitched with three straight stitches, stitched over the bud, with one strand of medium sage green (625) blended with one strand of light sage green (543). Add two straight stitches at the base of the bud with one strand of light sage green (543) to form the calyx.

Leaves: Using one strand of medium sage green (625) threaded in the No 22 chenille needle and starting at the tip of the leaf, stitch five to seven fly stitches. Then, using the same needle threaded with one strand of 564, stitch seven to nine straight stitches between the fly stitches. To anchor the leaves to the stem, work a pistil stitch, starting at the stem, with the knot end stitched at the base of the leaf.
Bullion Roses and Buds: Both the roses and the buds are stitched using one strand of amethyst light, threaded in the No 1 milliner's (straw) needle. The rose is stitched with two seven-wrap bullion stitches that form the centre of the rose. The first round consists of four 10-wrap bullion stitches. The final round is then worked with two 12-wrap bullion stitches. The buds are stitched with the same needle, using one seven-wrap bullion stitch to form the centre, then two 10-wrap bullion stitches are worked either side of the centre stitch.
Leaves: At the base of the buds, using two strands of 564 in the No 7 crewel needle, work a fly stitch and then stitch lazy daisy stitches for the leaves as indicated on the pattern sheet.
Forget-me-nots: With one strand of very light cornflower (461) threaded in the No 22 chenille needle, stitch five colonial knots. Then stitch a French knot in the centre of the forget-me-not with one strand of very light heraldic gold (841), threaded in the same needle.

FINISHING
Lining the blanket: Wash the piping cord and the satin bias binding to prevent shrinkage. The satin piping is made by ironing the satin bias binding open and folding it around the piping cord so that the cord is in the centre of the bias binding. Using the zipper foot on your sewing machine, and stitching very close to the piping cord, stitch the piping cord into the satin bias binding.
Pin the satin piping to the right side of the blanket 7.5cm (3in) from the edge of the blanket, with the raw edges of the satin piping facing towards the edge of the blanket. This will be covered with the lining fabric. Still using your zipper foot, stitch the satin piping to the blanket.
Having washed and ironed the lining fabric, lay the blanket onto the centre of the lining fabric, folding the edges of the lining fabric to the right side of the blanket so that it meets the satin piping. Mitre the corners, then hand-stitch the lining to the satin piping.