Maydear Cross Stitch Kits for Adults Stamped Full Range of Embroidery Starter Kits for Beginners DIY 14CT 2 Strands 18.1×13.8(inch) (Deep Autumn)

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Liked the colors and composition. I have been doing this embroidery a little at a time over the past year. Very pleasurable. I agree that instructions could be better and some places the ink is printed incorrectly. But for the size of design and yarn included, I think it is very good value for money. I hope the manufacturers would simplify the cross-references of symbols and colors to make it go easier for beginners. Color:VariousSize:Large

Tools I recommend:* Reading glasses, especially if you're older or this is your first time using 18-count Aida.* Email / use the contact link in the seller's page and ask for a pdf of the stitch chart! They sent me one within 48 hours of my request, and it's now incredibly easy to read when I can just keep a window with the chart open on my computer and can zoom in and out as needed.Love:+ The floss came sorted on two separate cards, with DMC numbers included (very useful for those of us who have thread-stealing pets)+ The printing on the aida cloth was precise+ As far as I can tell the printing on the key columns along the far sides of the fabric matches the printing on the bookmarks exactly. With a less-complex pattern or fewer very similar colors, it could have helped to figure out which colors to stitch where+ The needle that came with the kit has lasted at least halfway to completion.Difficult:- This is not a kit where you can depend on following the printed-on design and ignoring the chart. There are so many similar colors in this kit that even though the cloth is well-printed, sometimes you just can't tell the difference when looking with just your eyes.- The printed chart that came with the kit was not printed in high-enough resolution. Several of the color/symbol combinations didn't show up well on the chart. Other reviewers have included photos that frankly look sharper on my computer monitor than my printed chart looks.- Even when I can _almost_ discern the symbol, the chart uses similar symbols right next to each other: is that a light plum square with a white "b" or a lighter plum square with a white "p"? Is that mint green with a solid black diamond/rhombus or sage green with a solid black circle? . . . If the designers had consciously used unlike symbols next to each other, once I could identify one color/symbol it could have been a little easier to at least rule out some possibilities for the ones next to it.

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.

I'll talk about the aspects of this kit that matter to me. Everything you need is in the kit except for scissors and a needle-threader. The piece is on quality Aida cloth with serged edges so it doesn't fray. The size of the picture is approximately 12" x 9 3/4". There's 34 colors of floss/thread. The colors are beautiful! I haven't completed it yet because the final step is some required back stitching and that's a challenge for me! There's a small amount of back stitches in the piece and they call for 3 different colors of thread. There's a very small amount of confetti squares. Those are stitches in one color that sit alone in an area. I had plenty of thread to complete this piece with some left over. All in all, it's a good project for every cross stitcher, even beginners and not very difficult. Once I master the fractional stitches, I may post a picture of this piece at a later date!

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I needed a printed pattern due to my limited skill set, and this one was beautiful!