Maydear Cross Stitch Kits Stamped,Punch Needle Kit Full Range of Embroidery Kit Beginners DIY 11CT 3 Strands - Starry Night of Van Gogh 23×18(inch)

This is my first time purchasing a cross stitch kit from this Seller and I am so far very impressed! Here's the features I fine most impressive:1. The 11ct Aida cloth that the picture is printed on has been interlock sewn around the raw edges, so no taping necessary and, more importantly, NO FRAYING while stitching (which is soooooooo annoying)!2. There seems to be PLENTY of thread. If you follow the instructions and only use 3 strands at a time, you should definitely have enough. If for some reason you do end up short, they include a key to the corresponding color # for DMC floss, so you can alway get more. This is definitely a plus (for people like me whose pet sometimes wants to "help" with projects, only to end up with a tangled mess lol).3. The pattern and color key is printed directly in the cloth, and it is easy to read. They also include A HARD COPY of the pattern!! You know, if you drink tea while stitching, like me, and your cloth happens to get wet causing the print to smear, smudge, or disappear entirely. Plus, you have a copy of the pattern so you can make another for friends or family!!!4. Shipping was FREE and SUPER FAST. It actually arrived OVERNIGHT, so I didn't have to wait very long and could get started right away. Although I do have a feeling this project will take me a while to finish, but definitely worth it!!5. The PRICE (this should have been in the #1 spot)! I had been wanting the Van Gogh Starry Night cross stitch kit for a while, and finally finish all my current WIPs to be able to get it. I was totally shocked when I came across this Seller's listing at this price. I paid $18.29 USD total with FREE overnight shipping (as I mentioned above). I have seen other sellers listing it for as much as $50 USD for the exact same size (23" x 18"). So, I have definitely found my new cross stitch supplier from now on.....Thanks, Maydear!!!There are only ONE very minor thing that I wasn't very satisfied with, and that is the 2 needles they have included. Typically, I am able to thread 3 strands onto a cross stitch needle without any problems, however these needles have a very narrow head, so it's difficult and I had to go fetch my needle threader (no biggie). In addition, they are very short, which isn't great for my stubby fingers lol. So I used a needle from my stash instead. For me this wasn't an issue but for others it might be. So I strongly suggest that you have some additional cross stitch needles on hand, in case you run into the same issues that I had.The ONLY other thing I would love is if Maydear had this in an even larger size. That would be awesome!Anyway, needless to say, I am over the moon with everything about my new cross stitch project (which also happens to be my most favorite image ever). I am excited to get started...I will update this review if I come across anything that seems important for y'all to know. Until then, Happy Stitching!!

This bookmark kit is so lovely. It's on 18ct fabric, so not for the faint of heart.The kit includes a single canvas with all 4 bookmarks together along with a legend, 62 colors of 6 ply embroidery floss, 2 needles, 4 pieces of branded heavy cardstock for the bookmark backing, detailed instructions on how to make the bookmarks (including photos of how to do the stitching around edges of the bookmarks), and a full color glossy photo with a slightly different legend.The legend on the full color glossy photo is very useful. It includes the number that corresponds to the floss cards, the corresponding DMC number, the solid color used on the material, and the symbol used on the glossy photo. The legend on the material shows the thread number, the solid color as shown on the material, and the DMC number.The material itself uses only the solid colors (no symbols), so what you see right out of the package are these beautiful scenes with the appropriate colors. I didn't see any mention in the kit of soaking the fabric afterwards, but these are so pretty as is, I'm have tempted not to cross stitch them at all. The listing does indicate "Simply soak the fabric for half an hour", but then again it refers in 2 places to it being 11ct. This is probably a cut a paste error. Usually you would soak a stamped cross stitch project upon completion when the kit uses all manor of colors that are drastically different from the corresponding thread color. Hmmm. Maybe you could get away without stitching them at all??? But I digress.The glossy photo has the symbols as indicated on that legend. The idea is that if you are having trouble figuring out which color to use where, you can refer to the glossy copy to help you make that distinction. My only downside is that I wish that the glossy copy showed the bookmarks in a larger size. Enlarging the copy makes some of the "white symbols on a dark color" still too difficult to read. For these situations, I'll rely more on the color legend on the material.Either way, it's still a stunning kit by Maydear.

Nice Van Gogh cross stitch

I’m working on it now, after the initial shock when I opened the kit, I sat down with it and figured out what it was about. I used to (20+ years ago) just do counted cross stitch. You start out with a blank “canvas” and count where all the stitches go. This kit has every single stitch accounted for already. They use contrasting colors on the canvas for color location. So on my canvas, orange color meant black thread. Bright yellow was a very dark thread color. Every stitch on the canvas has a color and/or symbol. My eyes! I’ve adjusted to this way of doing it, but at first it really freaked me out!!! I’m doing it pretty fast, as I don’t have to constantly count to find my place. Much simpler. One thing I’m not too pleased about is the fact that they don’t want you using a frame when you stitch. All of the color coding, numbers and symbols are printed around the canvas image. So basically if you put it on a frame you would have to keep taking it apart to find your colors. Oh yes, after you are all done stitching, you soak it in water and the colors on the canvas are supposed to disappear. This worries me also….after all the stitching… I guess I’ll find out!? If this turns out to be true this may just be the best thing that’s happened since sliced bread. You do need to make sure you have someone on hand to help you get started if you’ve never attempted cross stitch. The actual written instructions were very minimal. All the thread is sorted and color coded for you, so no sorting, it comes with everything you need, 2 needles are provided.Fingers crossed I will be pleasantly surprised when I’m completely finished. I would recommend this brand, as long as all the original printed color washes out, and that is yet to be determined…..