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Are these designs printed on the fabric? No, all of the patterns offered by Cross-Stitch-Art are counted cross stitch. Is counted cross stitch hard to do? The secret of successful cross stitch is that it's NOT hard to do at all - with a little preparation and patience you can be creating beautiful memories for your family and friends; wowing them with your skill. Make your first project a small one with simple shapes and not too many colors. Use a 14 count aida to help you keep your stitches even size and in rows. Counted patterns are not printed on the fabric. How to Choose a chart just right for a beginning stitchers In general, you should select a pattern that will allow you to make reasonable progress and not bog you down. There's nothing more discouraging than picking a beautiful pattern, only to find out it uses a number of techniques or stitches with which you're not familiar. Beginners, look closely at the photo of the stitched piece on the front of the chart, leaflet or kit. Do you see many stitches that are not simply cross stitch or backstitch? Specialty stitches do appear different from plain cross stitch - they're lovely - but are you ready? Is this your first or second project? Is it the project as large as a painting on canvas? Does it use hundreds of colors? The pattern should use a limited palette of colors. Some charts, while "easy" in that they don't contain any fancy stitches, require many, many color changes, and use many slight nuances of colors, which makes it difficult to see where you are (the count of the stitches). If you can't tell what color the floss was two stitches away from where you are now, it will be hard to keep track of where you are on the chart! Plus, when the pattern uses many colors, you will have to be changing colors often, either by re-threading a needle, or maintaining a number of needles threaded with each color in an area. For beginners, limit yourself to patterns that use 10-20 colors or less, preferably fewer, until you're really comfortable stitching. Avoid charts that require a blended needle if you're a novice stitcher. There are some gorgeous charts out there but beware, some of the designs using a blended needle which just makes it that much harder to see and discern the colors...and it takes longer to handle two different skeins of floss and thread the needle with them. Choose a chart with a finished size that is not too large. If you choose a large chart, you'll be stitching forever, and for beginners (and often for all of us), the reward is in seeing the finished piece, before we grow tired of creating it! My recommendation is to choose a chart whose finished size is no larger than 5 X 7 inches or 6 X 6inches. Smaller might be even better if your stitching time is limited. Check the chart for the type of floss
specified.
Lastly, choose something that appeals to you. Don't just select a pattern because it's small or easy, because you won't be as motivated to complete the piece. We all have our favorites, whether it's flowers, oriental designs, mottoes, religious items, or whatever. Choose a chart that has meaning or significance for you and you will be able to display it proudly and say, "I stitched that myself!" What
do I need to start cross stitching?
What is the difference between aida and evenweave cloth?
An evenweave is any fabric which has the same number of threads per inch in both the vertical and horizontal directions. The individual threads might not all be the same thickness--you can see this in linen--but the number of threads are the same. Aida is worked with one X over one square, while linen and other evenweaves are generally worked over two threads. This means that a 28 count (28 threads per inch) linen produces the same size picture as a 14 count (14 squares per inch) aida. Most evenweaves aren't as stiff as most aida. This can be a plus or minus, depending on your own preferences. The difference in stiffness isn't usually a factor if the fabric is worked in a hoop or on scroll bars. Some people find it easier to see the holes on the aida fabric.. The look of the cloth in the background is also important when selecting a fabric. Both texture and color should be considered. Aida is generally less expensive. Whatever fabric you choose to work on, always buy the best quality you can afford. The amount of time invested in a project can be quite large and is far more valuable than a small savings up front. Also make sure to know the fiber content and if the fabric requires any special care. How are online payments processed? Orders placed at this website are managed by Paypal.com. Paying by credit card online with Cross-Stitch-Art is secure, and you may pay by credit card or PayPal through the shopping cart. Both options are offered at checkout. Orders by mail are also accepted but must be paid for by check. The security of your information, transactions, and money is the core of our business and our top priority at Cross-Stitch-Art.com. PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information in transit from your computer to theirs using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available). Before you even register or log in to their site, their server checks that you're using an approved browser - one that uses SSL 3.0 or higher. Once your information reaches them, it resides on a server that is heavily guarded both physically and electronically. Their servers sit behind an electronic firewall and are not directly connected to the Internet, so your private information is available only to authorized computers. If you are having trouble getting you Paypal purchase to go through turn on the cookie function of your computer. PayPal relies on the use of cookies to track what's in your cart. As you are using the same computer, the cookie that holds the cart info will retain that info for up to 21 days. Paypal will not work if you have cookies turned off. If Paypal refuses to take your credit card...you are not alone. Paypal has known this has been a problem with their program for many years. I have even had them refuse to take my credit card. The only way around this is for you to enter a second different credit credit card. You account should work fine after that. PayPal Information: PayPal Customer Service
Agents are available to help you during the following times: For general PayPal account
inquiries, please call You may also order using your credit card. You will see Paypal advertisement all over each page. (ignore it) Paypal just want to sign you up with their company. Your order is still going through your credit card company. So finish the order through them not Paypal. Yes indeed. Just go to Orders By Mail for information and an order form. Be aware that mail orders may take longer to be received and processed. Do
you ship overseas? When will my order be shipped? All stock merchandise will be mailed within 2-5 working days of receipt of order. Please allow an additional 3-5 working days for custom-made orders. You will be notified via email of any back orders, or other delays in shipping your order. How do I know when my order has been mailed? You will receive an email from Cross-Stitch-Art telling you the date your package was placed in the Post office. I do not mail UPS unless requested. How long would it take to receive my items after placing order? The total time required would be order processing time plus shipping time. USPS 2 day Priority mail is available for an additional $2.50. Wooden boxes are excluded from this offer and are only mailed within the US using bulk mail. All orders are mail via first class mail unless other arrangements are made. How are overages in postage payment handled? Postage is estimated based on your location and the dollar amount sold. Occasionally there is an over collection of postage. The postage paid minus actual cost to ship and $2 handling is refunded to you. Who pays for import custom duty? Import custom duty is paid by the customer. Prior to ordering call your post office to determine what the import limit is for your country; all countries have different limits. You may not want to go over that limit to avoid paying duty. A package determined to require duty payment can take up to 4 weeks additional to receive. How do I exchange, return or make corrections to the items in my order? The best way to arrange for an adjustment to your order is to contact
our staff, who will give you correct instructions pertaining to
your particular order. Every exchange scenario can be different and there may be
times when we can help you avoid unnecessary costs of sending your items back to
us. Our goal is to make you happy with your order. How do I subscribe or unsubscribe to your newsletter? At this time no subscription is necessary. Monthly there is a newsletter available to stitchers. It will have stitching hints, a free chart and maybe a recipe. Check around the 15th of the month for the new issue. Past newsletters will not be archived. So all the past information and free patterns will disappear unless you download them. Do you have a mail-order catalog? Catalogs come out twice a year in the spring and fall. Just send a email requesting a catalog and we will be happy to mail you one. Will you make a custom pattern for me? Sorry, I do not offer custom pattern design service. (But you can always suggest a design you'd like to see!) Will you stitch something for me? Sorry, we do not offer cross stitching or finishing services. If you need something stitched check your local yellow pages where you will find companies offering customized, digitized embroidery. People who offer custom handwork are most often found by simply asking around. We are unable to offer referrals. Can I put images of your work on my website / blog? If you are are writing about us, sure! Just make sure "Cross-Stitch-Art"
is shown in conjunction with the image and you provide a link back to us. |
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People often learn to do counted cross stitch on aida and later learn to
stitch on linen or other evenweaves as they become more experienced. Many
stitchers who know how to work on linen prefer it to aida. As always though,
this is a matter of personal choice. Some very experienced stitchers prefer
aida.
