I have been working on Woodland Enchantress for a year. I have ran out of floss in every color at least one if not more. I wrote and received quickly, replacement floss but the chart is ripping and it was replaced once in the beginning since I like a working chart.So I found another kit cheap on e bay and decided to just buy the kit over, sell the fabric and use all the floss it came with.
Why did I run out so many times? I did make some mistakes but not enough to warrant running out of so much floss. This is the first kit I used the floss in for a long time since there was so many colors. For $38.00 I would think there would be extra floss. Does anyone have this problem or is it just me? Donna
I've run out because I misidentified colors (very light blue for light blue), but I'm betting this isn't your problem.
Honestly, I'd just pull up a cross reference and finish with DMC numbers. I've done that from the start with other brands - I didn't want to figure out which one was red-orange vs the orange red.
I have just started finishing a new UFO for someone else; it is Dimensions Gold Millenium Angel. A few comments.
There is barely 2 inches spare cloth for framing. Usual recommendation is 3 inches. I dont know the cost of an extra inch of cloth.
I am sure the floss is neither Anchor nor DMC. I suspect is is normal cotton, not Egyptian cotton.
The pattern is on one huge sheet of paper. Knowing what I know, I have copied the seams, as I am sure by the time I have finished, the constant folding and unfolding will result in loss of detail.
The overstiching instructions are done in very heavy printing. This makes it difficult to see the symbols which have been overprinted.
There is no excuse for too little floss. These patterns have been stitched by "professional" stitchers. So it is possible to measure exactly how much floss was used. Dimensions out to know how much extra floss is required to fulfil the needs of "ordinary" stitchers. If they dont, this would be a black mark against them. I wish I knew more about the economics of marketing these sort of kits. Jim.
I assume it is as much else ,as it passes through various suppliers to the store the price increases which usually means that since many people want to pay as little as they can for things. the producer/manufacturer uses the cheapest, most cost effective supplies in order to make a small profit. Individual designers who produce and sell their own kits tend to do the same thing, especially skimp on fabric for some reason. Small market perhaps. I gave up on kits years ago because of that particular problem. Not a problem much anymore as most tend have the choice now of kit or just pattern. And with the internet there is easy access to flosses of all types. I also tend to do my own thing, find a subject, pick out my fill patterns for various areas etc. As I do mainly blackwork and pulled thread. I have done some cross stitch same way. Ruby
I've made several Dimentions Gold Kits over the last few years and never had a problem with running out of floss. As a matter of fact, I generally have some left over strands.
Of course, I'm a thread saver, aka known as stingy, and usually use the strand until it's really difficult to pull it through on the back side.
I would get in touch with them once more and ask them for extra, or just use the DMC colors and mix them as Tia Mary suggests.
Just trying to think of possibilities here. Do you do one stitch at a time (uses more thread) or go across a row with the first half stitch and then back? Do you carry your threads a long distance to the next spot? Use waste knots? Are you using the suggested number of strands or adding another?
Like Lucille, I've never run out of floss on a kit and usually have a bunch left over (which I never know what to do with but still save, for some unknown reason), maybe because I'm also a "thread saver" like she is! :)
I do have a Dimensions to DMC conversion chart I put together from a couple different ones I had. If you'd like, contact me off-list and I'll email it to you.
Just trying to think of possibilities here. Do you do one stitch at a time (uses more thread) or go across a row with the first half stitch and then back? Do you carry your threads a long distance to the next spot? Use waste knots? Are you using the suggested number of strands or adding another?
Like Lucille, I've never run out of floss on a kit and usually have a bunch left over (which I never know what to do with but still save, for some unknown reason), maybe because I'm also a "thread saver" like she is! :)
I do have a Dimensions to DMC conversion chart I put together from a couple different ones I had. If you'd like, contact me off-list and I'll email it to you.
Joan
Of course I save all the leftovers. Sometimes even a strand or two if it's an odd color.
I do use these snippets on occasion when I'm reasonably sure it's decent floss and not pure junk.
I think this really depends on the designer. I know some who are notorious for barely supplying enough thread, and fabric. At one point when a local group was sponsoring a well-known designer (who goes around teaching her lovely etuis), the LNS I worked at had to order in yardage of the fabric as the group was having serious issues with fitting the pieces in for pre-work. Plus, this particular person uses Brussels linen, which is quite stiff, and not as expensive as some others. That said, I know a lot of teachers who when they kit up, particularly for teaching pieces, are quite careful to give good amounts of thread and material. But, I expect it can be a matter of perspective. Most (not all) are receptive to giving you additional thread if you're short.
True, so nice that flosses are readily available. For kits, there is a cross reference to change a Dimensions kit floss # into a DMC number. My friend who owns "The Hang-Up" (framing and stitchin' supplies) had this, we were often having to get additional thread for people doing kits. It just happens. With some of the "designer kitted" pieces, IME they may expect you to stitch in a certain manner, direction, etc - and we all do what works for us - so sometimes the thread just isn't enough. I've done a few ending with just barely an extra 2 inches of thread - and not because of frogging.
Nice that you do your own thing. Playing with threads and patterns, just so much fun.
I have only had one problem with a kit but I DON'T think that it was a Dimension Gold Kit, I can't remember the supplier. Most charts are marked off with a heavy line every ten lines. This particuler chart was marked the same way. HOWEVER, the FIRST heavy line from the outside edge of the chart on the RIGHT was NINE lines from the edge, the FIRST heavy line from the outside edge of the chart on the LEFT was TEN lines from the edge.
Being as how I always start at the top right hand corner (work right to left) a considerable amount of blue smoke developed around me when I found out that stitches I had at a location 117 stitches from the right should have been 116 stitches from the right. I didn't find out the error until I did some stitching from the center and worked to the right.
Now I grid every canvas!!!!!
As for marketing problems with kits I think it depends on the company and quantity produced, AND !!! I have been told that there are some kits assembled off shore. They are packaged in the USA. Because the packaging costs more than the kits (packaging must be 75% higher) the kits are labeled product of USA.
This holds true for a lot of items these days - CDs are one example.
Fred
formatting link
nothing changes, nothing changes.Don't back stitch to email, just stitchit.
Just trying to think of possibilities here. Do you do one stitch at a time (uses more thread) or go across a row with the first half stitch and then back? Do you carry your threads a long distance to the next spot? Use waste knots? Are you using the suggested number of strands or adding another?
Take a look at the back of the work. Remember at the front of the work, doing counted cross stitch, you always use exactly the same amount of floss; two diagonal stitches. At the back of the work, the minimum is straight stitches along the sides of the square which has the cross in front. Anything more, uses more floss. If you stitch one at a time, you always need a diagonal stitch at the back. If you stitch a row of the first half of the sttich on the way out, and the second half on the way back, all the stitches on the back are straight, not diagonal.
I have had this discussion at our Guild. Frankly no-one is the slightest bit interested, with good reason. The amount of floss you save is hardly worthwhile. But people admire the back of my work. The question I ask is, when you are stitching do you think about what the back of the work looks like? No-one, other than myself, bothers. I do. I know precisely what is happening at the back of my work when I stitch the front. Jim.
\ I used to work as a modelstitcher for Dimensions...even I had problems sometimes with having enough floss.. but now they use software to figure out how much floss/yarn (for their needlepoint) to use, which doesn't take into account how people stitch since everyone works differently.
Joan - I don't know how to contact you off-list, but I really, really need to get a site for this. I had one, but for some reason when I go to favorite places and click on the one I saved and it is no longer there. My email is snipped-for-privacy@aol.com. Thanks. Frances
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