Edge Hill Hoglet by Nicola Jarvis

It’s wonderful to be returning to the Warwickshire countryside as we once again join Nicola Jarvis and her faithful companion, Quince the golden retriever, as this time they venture through Life in Seasons Volume 2 | Summer & Autumn.

We pick up where we left off, continuing the journey as it now unfolds through summer and autumn, exploring the sights, sounds and wonderful creatures encountered along the way.

Our first project from this new book is Edge Hill Hoglet, which places us on a late summer walk, where the light is beginning to soften and a young hedgehog quietly appears at the edge of the path.

Small, purposeful and endlessly endearing, the hoglet becomes the focus of a moment that feels both fleeting and quietly significant.Small, purposeful and endlessly endearing, the hoglet becomes the focus of a moment that feels both fleeting and quietly significant.

Hedgehogs have long held a special place in our collective imagination and, for Nicola, they are bound up with childhood memories of dusk walks and torchlit discoveries in the garden.

Today, as hedgehog numbers continue to decline across the UK, each sighting carries a deeper sense of privilege. This awareness invites us to appreciate the project on another level, lending it both warmth and meaning.

The embroidery itself reflects this same sensitivity. The hoglet’s rounded form is brought to life through long and short stitch and straight stitch, giving the young hedgehog a real sense of presence and personality.

Nicola has skilfully captured a sense of movement and anticipation here, as though the young hedgehog might pause, sniff the air, and then continue on its way.

As with the other projects in Life in Seasons, Edge Hill Hoglet begins with one of Nicola’s hand-drawn and painted designs, pre-printed onto fabric. The outline can be replicated using the pattern sheet provided in the book, or you can choose the pre-printed fabric supplied as part of the kit.

From there, Nicola shows off her embroidery skills and creates depth and definition not by adding more techniques, but through clever changes in stitch length and density.

This approach results in a wonderfully expressive face, complete with cute ears that give the hoglet real character.

The nose is given further shape through subtle colour shading and finished with a black and grey nostril that brings the whole expression to life.

For the background, Nicola has created a sketch depicting a montage of leaves with their veins and outlines accentuated with back stitch using a metallic thread.

Whether you’re continuing your Life in Seasons journey or discovering Nicola’s work for the first time, Edge Hill Hoglet is one of those projects that’s hard not to smile at - charming, characterful, and immensely satisfying to bring to life with needle and thread.

Ready-to-Stitch Kit

Kits for Edge Hill Hoglet are now available to purchase using the link below and include everything you need to re-create this project, excluding the pin-pot, providing the freedom to finish and display the piece in a way that best suits you.

Instructions

Please note that instructions are not included in this kit. Complete, step-by-step instructions for stitching Edge Hill Hoglet are provided in the book Life in Seasons 2, sold separately.