February Kit of the Month – Mended Heart

The past year has been quite a roller coaster for a lot of us. I know that I have struggled many times, and at times my heart seemed to be breaking. I’m sure I’m not alone.

In Japan, there’s a tradition called “kintsugi” – repairing broken pottery with gold, silver or platinum dust mixed with lacquer. The thinking is not to hide repairs, but to embrace the mending and make it part of the piece’s history. I’ve carried that thinking into February’s Kit of the Month 2021 design.

The heart is broken into four areas, and the places where it’s broken are covered, repaired if you will, with gold. I chose some simple, small stitches for the four areas (mosaic, quilted stitch, kennan and an “unwoven” cross with cross stitches and French knots), and the gold is pearl purl couched in place. I finished the whole thing with a border of red and gold, and outlined the heart with a twisted cord made from threads used in the design.

The kit includes two cards of Rainbow Gallery Splendor in red and gold, and one card each of Rainbow Gallery Glisten and Silk Lame’ Braid. The gold pearl purl is Kreinik’s Jaceron #5. I’ve line drawn the white canvas, and include 2 size 22 tapestry needles, everything you need to stitch except 2 pairs of 8″ stretcher bars (the same size used for Welcome Winter, January’s Kit of the Month 2021).

I finished mine the same way as January’s design, and am displaying it on the same 8″ wooden easel, painted with white acrylic craft paint. I include instructions for finishing the same way as mine in the leaflet.

I hope you’ll like my little Mended Heart design; I hope all of us will be stronger despite our broken hearts, and embrace the parts that have been broken.

January’s Kit of the Month 2021, Welcome Winter, is still available:

And February’s design will be available throughout the year as well.

We will ship as soon as we have all the materials in house and ready to send out. Payments will not be processed until we are able to ship.