Fairy Cottage by Ana Mallah

Perhaps one of the greatest pleasures of stitching is the sheer abundance of thread colours we get to play with.

With thousands of shades at our fingertips, every now and then we come across a colour so vivid, so gloriously eye-catching, that we can’t help but think: I hope one day I find a project that uses this!

Among the candidates of such dazzling colours would have to be Au Ver à Soie’s soie d’Alger 2945 Dark Azalea and 2946 Very Dark Azalea - these threads are so bold and beautiful they almost demand a design with enough personality to match their intensity.

Well, today is that day.

Fairy Cottage by Ana Mallah from The Handpicked Collection 5 is a celebration of colour and imagination.

A tiny, stitched world where petals become rooftops, stems curl into chimneys, and every detail invites you further into its storybook charm.A tiny, stitched world where petals become rooftops, stems curl into chimneys, and every detail invites you further into its storybook charm.

What begins as a simple pot becomes a whimsical little cottage crowned with a magnificent bloom, its sculptural petals shaded in the glorious azaleas, burgundies and red-violets we’ve been longing to use.

Ana’s talent lies not only in her command of colour, but in her delightful ingenuity. Blending her hallmark techniques of three-dimensional and surface embroidery with clever construction, she creates stitched forms that feel both enchanting and expertly engineered.

The Fairy Cottage collection comprises a pin pot, coordinating tape measure cover and scissor sheath - not to mention the tiniest of scissor fobs - all combining to form a beautifully cohesive, fairy-inspired ensemble.

At the heart of the set is that extraordinary fantasy flower whose richly shaded petals form the cottage roof. Ana, ever attentive to harmony across her designs, echoes this hero element throughout the accessories, with the same magnificent dark azalea threads appearing on both the scissor sheath and tape measure cover to draw everything together.

It’s the thoughtful little touches, lovingly rendered, that give this project its enchanting personality.

The cottage features a fairy door complete with neatly stitched bricks and a curved archway that welcomes you in.

Above it, a petite paned window adds a touch of whimsy, while along the walls delicate hollyhocks climb upward in soft, painterly stitches - a miniature garden blooming right on the fabric.

The story continues through the accessories, where even the reverse of the scissor sheath and tape measure cover are adorned with tiny leaves that unfurl in gentle greens, subtle nods to the larger botanical theme.

And to finish the set, Ana includes a charming floral scissor fob - a sweet, miniature accent that ties everything together with the perfect final flourish.

Each piece feels part of one tiny stitched world - a world brought to life through colour, imagination and the kind of meticulous detail that makes Ana Mallah’s work such a joy to stitch.

To help you create your own Fairy Cottage, our Ready-to-Stitch kits offer complete flexibility in how you choose to bring this little world to life.

The Pin Pot and Accessories are available as two separate kits, so you can stitch one, the other, or treat yourself to the full enchanted set.

Whichever option you choose, each kit includes all the materials you need, from the natural linen with the embroidery design pre-printed, and that delightful red-dotted fabric to every one of those spectacular coloured threads, plus the retractable tape measure and more.

And don’t forget, all our Handpicked kits include printed instructions, so everything you need is right inside the box.

The link below will take you to the project page, where you can scroll down and explore all your options - whether you’d like to purchase the instructions on their own and source your own materials, or select either (or both!) of the Ready-to-Stitch kits.

If you’re a fan of Ana Mallah (and truly, who isn’t?) be sure to follow her on Instagram HERE to keep up to date with where she’s teaching, new projects she’s working on, and all the other creative delights she shares.

Thank you, Ana, for creating yet another unforgettable Ana Mallah classic.