Dimensions Needlecrafts Counted Cross Stitch, Candy Cane Santa Stocking kit

This kit is lovely. The pattern is beautiful and the thread is nice to work with. This will take a very long time to complete. It took me around a year to stitch (a few hours a night on and off). I didn’t like the finishings that came with the kit. After so much time stitching it just felt cheap. I chose to get a backing fabric and lining fabric and made piping to outline the stocking. This was a labour of love and I wouldn’t recommend this to any but those who have some experience embroidering. I would also recommend purchasing a scroll frame as this is quite cumbersome in a hoop.

I changed the design into a girl. It's beautiful, but it's difficult to make。

Dimensions has the most beautiful patterns! They are so fun, and I had a great time working on this stocking. I love all the different thread counts on the stitches and the different types of stitches. It’s hard to tell the texture and depth from a photo, but the end product is stunning. Some people like to fill in the white spaces or add full stitches where there is a half stitch - DON’T! Those are what give the finished product “dimensions” and make them so gorgeous. I made this stocking for a friend and it took me 15 months with a few moderate breaks in between. I would not consider myself an advanced cross stitcher. If you have patience, can make an x or / with thread, and follow a pattern, you can do this! It’s basically paint by number with thread. My friend that is an expert sewer and quilter helped me finish it, as I don’t know how to use a sewing machine. That part seems much harder to me than the cross stitching. Like most people, we did not use the backing provided. I thought the pattern was easy to read, the aida cloth was fine, but I absolutely hated the thread provided. It pulled and knotted too easily and was generally frustrating to use. I am working on my next stocking, and I bought all new DMC thread, and already it is going much smoother. One deviation, I used white mill hill beads for the snow because I struggle with French knots, and I muddled through on the animals’ eyes and I am happy with the compromise.

This is a gorgeous stocking! There are many shade variations which make it beautifully detailed. I have done an extensive amount of cross stitching and this was a bit of a challenge with the small stitches and intricate color variations. It really keeps you on your toes and I would not recommend it for beginners. In addition to the cross stitches, there are half stitches, back stitches, French knots, couching and sequin attachment. Also, not only do you use two stands, there are half stitches requiring two, three, four and even five strands. This leads to my only complaint, and that is I ran out of numerous strands of the frequently used colors such as green shades, burgundy, etc. Using five strands quickly depletes the thread even though I followed directions and didn't waste any thread. Luckily, I was able to find comparable thread to use. Also, there are stitches that require a mixture of two colors, which really adds to the beautiful detailing.The picture I took shows my work for 3.5 months, working numerous hours per day. I have to finish the top with name as soon as the baby is born, as well as the outlining and details, which will make this even more gorgeous! Also, as many people have stated, the white felt backing included in the kit is poor quality. After spending so much time creating this beautiful piece, backing it with this cheap, white felt would not do it any justice. I bought a nicer quality red felt for the back (shown in the picture), which will compliment the beauty.The instructions suggest separating each six-strands into single strands. I thought it was a waste of time and it was so much easier to separate as needed, rather than putting single strands together. I also put each color in an envelope labelled with the number. Filed numerically, it was organized and much easier to use.

This ticks all the boxes, so it is good. Thank you for thinking this one up, I appreciate your thought inmaking this, I could see it in my head but needed it put together for me. THANK YOU