Dimensions 'Feasting Frenzy' Birds Counted Cross Stitch Kit, 18 Count Ivory Aida, 10'' x 14''

I am a counted cross stitch enthusiast who has recently been exploring the world of kits (rather than buying a chart only and then supplying my own fabric and flosses). I have collected well over a dozen Dimensions counted cross stitch kits and have yet to be disappointed by any of my purchases. This company is probably the largest supplier of needlework kits available today and they produce many counted cross stitch designs (my preference) as well as stamped cross stitch, needlepoint, and crewel embroidery kits. (And yes, there is a difference between the above mentioned styles of needlework.)My guess is that most people just acquainting themselves with the craft ofcounted cross stitch are familiar with the Dimensions brand as their kits are easily found in chain craft stores and online.As far as quality goes, you cannot go wrong with a kit manufactured by Dimensions. One of the best features this brand has adopted is their PRE-SORTED palette of the floss (thread) needed to stitch the design. The older kits contained bundles of floss which you had to separate yourself - a time consuming and somewhat frustrating activity for most stitchers. Personally, I don't mind sorting the flosses myself as Dimensions gives good directions to aid you, but I confess it saves a lot of time with that step already completed. The directions are crystal clear and the charts are nicely printed with CLEAR symbols and illustrations of the stitches required (cross stitch, backstitch, and - sometimes- French knots). With YouTube only a click away NO ONE needs to feel intimidated by an elaborate or detailed project. You're using the same basic three stitches you'd encounter in a smaller, less intricate design, so why hinder your selection? Go online and watch some videos on how to start your project, or how to go about the stitches required, and you're good to go! Just keep in mind these are projects that WILL require your time to complete. If you're not in a rush, then buy a design you love and will cherish and then relax and stitch a little bit each day. You'll really feel proud of your finished work.

This was my first large, counted cross stitch in 20+ years so it took me 3mos to complete. But I did finish it just in time to give it to my mom for her Mother’s Day gift! She loved it! The colors are bright and vivid. The variety of birds makes you want to just sit and look at it for a long time. I had plenty of thread. My only complaint- it did not iron out completely flat.

The squares are very tiny. A bit hard to see for elderly eyes.

This was great! However it didn't come with the design on the fabric. My children had to put the design in a generic way on the fabric so she could start. Than put details in while she was crafting it. It took a long time and alot of patience,but was well worth the time spent. The size is atleast two feet long,so keep that in mind.

This is a really fun kit with very easy-to-follow instructions, although it's not quite beginner level easy. There's plenty of thread; I'm about three quarters done and can tell that I'll have loads of extra thread. It does come with a needle, but its eye broke fairly soon after I started. Wasn't really a big deal though, since I've been cross stitching for decades and have plenty of needles. If I can remember to do so, I'll update this review with a picture after I finish.

I've done counted cross stitch for decades, but in the last few years I've lost a great deal of my vision. I'm now legally blind, but can still work on 11 count Aida with a combination of glasses plus a chest magnifier. When I came across this particular kit, I thought it was gorgeous, but the 18 count cloth was out of the question. Still determined though, I decided to purchase the kit as well as a larger piece of 11 count cloth, and be able to end up with a project that would be beautiful. I knew that there wouldn't be enough floss to do a project that would turn out twice the original size, so I contacted Dimensions and asked if I could purchase extra floss so that everything would match. Well, I got a charming little email back from them today stating that because I had "altered" the kit by buying 11 count cloth, they would not be able to help me in any way. They did send me a link to a Dimensions/DMC conversion chart and told me to buy what I needed from DMC. Hey Dimensions, I wasn't asking for FREE floss, I specifically stated that I wanted to BUY it from them! I know all about conversion charts, but I also know that different companies don't always match. I replied to the email reminding them that I wanted to buy the floss, but I don't expect to hear back from them. Will I ever buy Anything from Dimensions again. Never. Kind of shows you that being truthful very seldom works. If I had just asked them for extras every time I ran out of a color, they would have probably sent it. Go figure.

I had a lot of fun doing this cross stitch. The materials were good quality. Although I don’t think the floss was DMC, it was still good quality and did not fuzz. I knew that would be easy to miscount stitches on this project, so I gritted the Aida with 4 pound fishing line. That was the first time I had ever done that on a project and it paid off so many times. When things did not line up with the grid, I knew that I messed up. So it would help me catch my mistakes quickly. The grid helped me to jump to anywhere on the chart that I wanted. I am going to do that to all my projects now. Definitely worth the time I spend watching videos on how to do it, and the extra time it took. This is going to be a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. I think she is going to love it (she better, I had her pick it out 😂). It turned out so beautiful