Winter’s Frost by Wendy Innes

Winter is a much-maligned season. Far too often, people focus on the cold or the wet, but if you switch your viewpoint, it doesn’t take long before you start to see the beauty in the season.

Especially in the Northern Hemisphere, winter may mean frosts and rugged landscapes. But it also may mean snow and the sharp contrast between the rich colours of the evergreens and the sparkling white of the snow-covered land and marble sky.

All of this beauty is captured in Wendy Innes’s stunning stumpwork piece, Winter’s Frost, which is the latest release in our exclusive Handpicked range.

In the shape, colour and design, you can feel winter in its entirety. In fact, as soon as we saw it, we were reminded of one of the things that today is inescapably linked with that season. For any of you with a child or grandchild, you might have spotted it too. To us, this piece looked like it had come straight out of Disney’s hit move, Frozen!

It would be impossible not to have been caught up in the Frozen phenomenon over the past 9 years. First released in 2013, this animated film rapidly became a favourite for children and adults alike. It was a variation on the traditional Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Snow Queen. Telling the story of a beautiful queen, Elsa, who accidentally traps her kingdom in an eternal winter and her clumsy, funny and adorable sister, Ana, whose love for her sister helps break the spell, it is little wonder this film became so popular.

Since its release, it has made its way into the hearts and minds of children the world over. You can’t go anywhere without seeing a cute little Elsa toddling around, dressed up as her favourite character, or an image of the pair of sisters on clothing, lunchboxes, bags and every other manner of item you could think of. As distinctive as the characters are the colours and motifs, all of which speak of beautiful, shimmering winter snows and stunning Nordic scenery.

Naturally, Winter’s Frost stands alone in its beauty. You might associate it with the magic and romance of the film, but then again, it may remind you of your own childhood winters. Whatever emotion it brings for you, you’ll be captivated by Wendy’s choice of icy greens and blues, blended to create a poinsettia and mistletoe sprigs tipped with frost, and set off by pearls and silver curlicues to give a lustrous, wintery finish.

Although we’re confident that everyone is going to fall in love with Winter’s Frost because of its colour, its atmosphere and its beautiful design, we’ve also included another extra special treat with this Handpicked project.

For the very first time, when you purchase this Handpicked Ready-To-Stitch kit, you will also receive the printed pattern with all the instructions included.

Normally our kits are sold with instructions available separately as many of our readers purchase our books and magazines which include all the detailed information you need to re-create each project. In this instance if we added instructions in with the kits and you already have the publication the project appears in, you’d be paying for the instructions twice.

However, as Handpicked projects don’t appear in any books or magazines, it makes sense to include the instructions specifically in these kits, which we will do for each new Handpicked release from now on, starting with Winter’s Frost.

Winter’s Frost exemplifies the icy season in all its glory. Whether you recognise the iconic film in the subtle colours of this piece or you view it as a gorgeous snapshot of winter, you’re sure to love this project.

It would look perfect hung over the mantlepiece on a Christmas evening. But it would also make an ideal gift for that little girl who fell in love with Elsa when she first appeared on the screen, but who might not be so little anymore. You’ll be guaranteed to recapture the magic with Winter’s Frost, whenever that magic first appeared.

Make Your Own Winter’s Frost

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Winter’s Frost by Wendy Innes is a sparkling Christmas bouquet of poinsettia and mistletoe.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Winter’s Frost includes everything you need to re-create this Christmas bouquet: Fabrics (inc. with pre-printed design), wires, embroidery threads, beads, needles and printed instructions.