Friday, May 2, 2014

One of those weeks!


I had one of those days last week, which turned into one of those weeks...even my stitching seemed to be conspiring against me! 

Remember the trouble I had with running out of thread near the end of Simple Treasures? Well, Dimensions kits  seem to be my bete noir at the moment! (Oooh, don't I sound posh saying that?!!! I only remember it as it was in a Bryan Ferry song, and I had a huge crush on him when I was younger! Anyhoo, I digress.)  So, earlier in the year I had bought a wedding sampler kit to do for a friend, and when I opened the kit the fabric had a rather large and very obvious fault right down the middle! As you can see, the design leaves quite a bit of the fabric un-stitched, so the fault would be seen. 



I was a bit annoyed (to say the least!) as kits are not particularly cheap and I expect the contents to be, well... perfect. A quick email to Dimensions had them emailing back that I would have to send the whole kit to their office for them to see the fault in the fabric. I did wonder if it was worth the cost of posting the kit to them as it would probably be almost as cheap to go and buy a roll of aida from the local craft store. I decided to send the kit back to Dimensions so that they could see the faulty fabric and maybe this would prevent it happening again....I can  hope anyway!

Sooo, what to work on now? Well, I remembered that I had bought a kit just before Christmas that I was going to stitch as a surprise for my daughter. (It won't be a surprise if she's reading this, though!!!) After trying to remember where I had hidden it... ahem, I mean stored it safely, I was all excited about starting a new project and took everything out the packet to organize all the threads etc and, guess what.....yup, you've guessed it....fabric with such fold marks that even after washing it twice, they still show! I won't repeat what I said about Dimensions kits, but it was something along the lines of  'Oh dear, tut, tut'. (Yeah, sure!)

Luckily I had a roll of dark navy aida in my stash, so I decided to just use that instead of contacting Dimensions, yet again!

Here's the  design and my stitching so far....


It's called Twilight Silhouette. Isn't that the most gorgeous design?

I had forgotten just how hard it is to stitch on navy fabric (which is much darker than it appears on the photo!) and also how slow it is stitching, even half stitches, with four or more strands of thread! My fingers are aching! Anyway, I think it will be worth it in the end, as the design is gorgeous and I'm sure my fairytale loving daughter will appreciate all the work.

And since it's TUSAL time again....


here's my jar, but I'm wondering if I forgot to empty it last month as there seems to be sooooo many orts in the jar! Ooops!

I also want to say a quick 'welcome' to my new followers! And also a big thank you to everyone who leaves a comment, they really do mean a lot to me. I'm planning to do loads of blog visits now that my course has finished and that life has returned to normal(ish).

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona


16 comments:

Pull the other thread said...

Oh dear, sorry to hear all the trouble you are having. I agree that Dimensions kits are not cheap and I don't blame you for wanting everything perfect. I absolutely love your new start, it is going to be just stunning.

Blu said...

Sorry to hear about the trouble!
I've mostly given up on Dimensions kits. The fabric always has a crease that never comes out and for what they cost I shouldn't have to replace the fabric to be able to stitch them.

Twilight Silhouette is looking very pretty. I bet it's going to look spectacular.

butterfly said...

Sorry about your trouble with the kits it happens now and again, in my day we would have qaulity control to make sure this never happens , but today I don't think they bother.
Love your new start it is so beautiful.

Mii Stitch said...

Oh dear!! I must admit I'm not a fan of kits anymore but sometimes the design is so nice that you have to have it!! :) Twilight Silhouette is just fabulous!! Great progress already and I can't wait to see more :)

Ariadne said...

I loved the blue fairies!AriadnefromGreece!

cucki said...

Beautiful fairy..I love it
Hugs x

Lija Broka said...

I am sorry to hear you are having troubles with the fabric. My first thought would be to contact Dimensions, which you obviously did. I read a blog where a lady ran out of their threads and they were nice enough to send extra. Dimension kits are extremely expensive, so I do not blame you for wanting them perfect. So would/do I. I have one as a wip (or should I say ufo). They are so complex so when I want instant gratification/relaxation it is not on the top of my choices.
I hope your daughter likes the design. It is gorgeous. I think I have seen some similar ones on the HAED website (but those are huge). I would definitely not chose to stitch on anything dark (unless it is small) voluntarily.

Dani - tkdchick said...

Sorry about your kit fabric woes!!! It is going to be an awesome piece though!

Anne said...

Tsk tsk again DMC kits! I don't think I've ever heard about so many problems from any other company before. I don't buy kits but never had a problem with the 1 I did have...the Geisha gal. Anyways, Twilight is looking really good and I've heard putting a white towel down on your lap helps see the holes in the dark fabric. Maybe that will help!

Wendy said...

I think I'll steer clear of Dimensions kits! They're not cheap at all and clearly aren't bothered about quality either.

Melissa said...

OOOO I love your new start! I'm not one for giving up when a product is not up to my standards but I have done it. Most recently with a quilt panel that they simply cannot cut right I'm certain... I've tried on two occasions and simply do not want to go through the hassel of calling them alllll over again... I feel your pain.

Annie said...

How disappointing that the kits are so faulty-that's not what we pay a lot of money for! However, that fairy picture looks lovely! Your daughter is a very lucky girl!

Helen Philipps said...

Such a shame about those fabrics, Rhona! Isn't the Twilight Silhouette design amazing!? I am sure your daughter will love it.
Helen xxx

Shazie said...

Oh no Rhona, I'll have to watch that with Dimension, I've been lucky, I've only ever run out of threads and it took about 2-3 weeks to get to the UK.

Stitching Noni said...

Oh no! How frustrating! The kits are expensive enough without the added cost of posting it back to them or buying new fabric. I must admit that I have swapped fabric in a kit before because I didn't like the fabric... But having to swap it due to an issue with the actual kit is not good..... I do hope that they fix the fault and compensate you for the added postage cost!!!
I love your new start! What a lovely design! But I feel your pain with the dark colour and multiple threads :) Great start!
Hugs x

♥ Nia said...

Oh my! Twilight Silhouette is gorgeous! It may be hard to stitch on such dark fabric but it sure looks amazing :D
If you ever decide to sell that design later, let me know! ;)