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Friday, July 10, 2015

A New Kind of Kit, A Lot Less Progress

So, I have a new start!

With almost no progress.

I enjoyed it, but we had my father's birthday on the 6th and then I had three days of double shifts at work.  So I had very little time and I pretty much just came home and went to bed.  So sad, right? lol!

But I found a new kind of kit and I wanted to try it even though I knew I'd only have a little time.

Have you guys seen the printed kits from China?  They look really cool!

Here's my first one:



Now, this is a huge one but at the same time it is very simple and easy.  They are all on 11 count aida, and use water-soluble ink to put the pattern directly on the aida.  You can just look at the symbols and you don't have to count and yet your stitches look normal and not those weird things on the plain fabric of a normal 'stamped' kit.  When you're done, you soak the fabric in plain water and all the symbol-ink lifts off, leaving no trace on your thread, and yes, I've seen video and it does work!

The reason I call this one easy is that the background is printed on in permanent ink, and you only have to stitch little pieces.  I normally would not like this, but I saw this picture in the first Chinese restaurant I went to with my dad when I was a very little girl, so when I saw the kit, I wanted it!  I could have got it in what they call 'full embroidery', which means you do the background and all, but I knew it would lose detail and I love those thin waterfalls.  So I chose a partial stitch for my first go.
(If you are looking at these kits, this kind is called '3D'.  Some of the ones with plain or white backgrounds are also called '3D' so study your pictures carefully!)

It came with really nice thread - very, very soft and shiny!  It's not DMC but they give DMC reference numbers and they MATCH, which is a nice change :D


Yep, the key is printed on the fabric, too.  Some of them also come with a pattern you can use as a reference check.  This one does.  So far, I haven't needed it.

It's huge - it is four feet long.



For size reference, I put a finished project on it.  The stitched area on that one is 5x7.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get right over it so it still looks smaller than it is.



Anyhow, all you stitch on this one is the words, the flying cranes, the bird and the flower beneath it, the big pink flower, the boat, the pink-flowered branch, the two big cranes beneath it and the rock/bank they are standing on.

All I got done was the first two words, most of the third, part of the fourth, a lot of the first red-crowned crane and a little of the second.  I will admit the fabric is pretty stiff and my fingers got a little sore when I was pushing the needle through.  I switched to a smaller needle and solved that bit.  But I wish I had gotten more done.  Ah, well.  What I did do was pretty fun!



Do you like my needle minder?  My postmaster knows I like to collect stamps, so when she was tossing out the old display magnets, she gave me this one :D  I turned it in to a needle minder.

I had no idea what the kanji on the project meant - first I looked at a translator and got 'long life' but I knew that wasn't right.  These pictures usually say something good, yes, but also that sort of relates to the picture subject.  So I asked on a site I go to where I know several of the people speak other languages, and one lady said it formally says 'Your wealth/money source overflows' and colloquially says 'Profits Pouring'.  Makes a lot more sense :D

I have a few more of this type of kit - all of them are BIG and they are a lot more detailed than this one.  This one is a little pixellated but I don't mind.  I will show the others off in a Stashy Saturday post!

I did get the next color of Great Light done - light purple.  There was only a little bit.  Only the cream on the path to go as far as full stitches, and I got a good bit of that done but no pic yet!  I started a bit of the backstitch, too.  This one and the bunnies should be done soon.  That's good 'cause I need to start Christmas prezzies!!!


Back on the 10th with another project, but not a new start!!!  LOL!!!



19 comments:

  1. The kit is stunning! Love your church piece too.

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  2. Very nice kit. I bought one myself from Aliexpress. I will say I'm disappointed in the size it turned out. I didn't pay very much attention but it turns out some of the stores have the same pattern but in different sizes. So the amount of detail you get is different for each kit. I'll have to stitch it one day and see if I like stitching with a printed pattern. Speaking of 3D, have you seen the one with the crystals? They're so pretty.

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    1. I have seen those! A bit tempted, but I have so many projects! Still might get one :D
      There's usually some place hidden in the description that will give you the size (in centimeters) on Aliexpress. They sure don't put it where it's easy to find, though.

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  3. OK I love that kit. I'm going to have to look into them.

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    1. Be careful of the size! They use huge pictures but the kits are not always the size they show! Check the description for teeny-tiny little numbers (in cm).

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  4. Oooh, I'm working on two of the printed kits right now- both of mine are anime looking girls in frilly dresses, though, so I have much respect for your ambition. I have to say, reading your post made me feel a lot better about them. I hadn't seen any videos of them, so I kept stitching like, "Come on, Kimono Girl, I hope these grid lines fade."

    On yours, how are the squares lined up? My Kimono Girl is perfect in regards to that, but the Moon Princess one is just slightly off enough to be annoying.

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    1. Mine are perfectly lined up so far, but I haven't checked the whole kit. Apparently, some companies are more accurate than others. I've heard the one called 'Angel's Kiss' is the best one but I don't know what their logo looks like (and can't read the Chinese to tell, lol!)
      I remember seeing yours! Looked very pretty!
      I saw one video today where a tiny bit of the ink stayed on a very light color, but the girl was going to soak it again and see if it would come off. All her grid lines were gone, though, and the spot was only a faint shadow.

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  5. Love your kit Tama. I bought one by mistake but haven't done anything with it yet. Nice progress on the church.

    Linda

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    1. Thanks! These are almost like a different craft, it's so strange. lol!

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  6. I've never seen anything like that! Very unusual.

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  7. Interesting choice and I hope it stitches up easily.

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    1. so far, so good. Once I switched needles, anyway.

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  8. Very nice piece you picked! Haven't tried those kits, they look gigantic, might take me ages to finish, lol. Looking forward to seeing this grow. Happy stitching:)

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    1. They are supposed to be faster than normal - it seems like it will be, too, once I get the hang of it. Or get a floor stand to hold it!

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  9. I love your new kit. I haven't seen them before but it looks really interesting. Hanging out for the finished piece. Have fun
    xo Alicia

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