Review: Yiotas XStitch
Over the holidays, I was contacted by Yiota, the owner of Yiota’s Cross Stitch Kits, and was asked if I’d be interested in reviewing one of her cross stitch kits. With the world of online stitch stores increasing as the local shops seem to be decreasing, I can’t blame her for wanting to get the word out. I’d been curious about her products for a while, truth be told, and was definitely eager to take a peek… so I of course said yes. 🙂
The quick, quick version – I’m very pleased with what I’m seeing, and definitely will be picking up a couple of the other kits I debated reviewing once I clear through a bit of my current WIP pile.
Yiota has a large number of cross stitch kits on her website, covering a wide variety of themes and stitching sizes. To break into a style a bit different than my normal projects, I selected her adaptation of Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt. The kit retails for £24.50 (approx US $38.00) and includes the chart, all floss, Aida fabric, and a needle all tidily packaged up in a resealable plastic envelope. Options are available for just the chart to be delivered either in hard copy or digitally if you prefer to kit on your own.
The package was shipped to me on January 12th – within two days after I confirmed my selection. It arrived within the week to my home in Rhode Island (the weekend and MLK Day postal holiday inclusive). Packaging is good and protective for normal shipping conditions – a firmly backboarded envelope to keep things from bending.
I really, REALLY liked that the kit comes with all of the floss neatly pre-wound on bobbins that are very clearly labeled. This alone will save loads of time for someone like me, who is a religious bobbin user. I’m unsure of the brand of floss used in the kits, as the numbers aren’t DMC, but the floss feels of similar quality and sheen. DMC conversions are given on the color key for those who opt for the chart-only option I mentioned above. Multiple bobbins are included for colors that are required in a larger volume, so bobbins aren’t overly fat and therefore more prone to wear/fraying. All of the bobbins are hole-punched for those who prefer to keep bobbins on a ring. I’m a bobbin box user personally and when I first saw the kit’s bobbins, I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t fit in my generic big box craft store boxes. Yiota’s bobbins are signifiantly longer than the generic ones American stitchers are used to finding at craft stores. But no worries – they fit just fine. Just put them in the individual cubbies the opposite of what you would American-sized bobbins.
The Aida fabric included soft and finer-feeling than the starchy Aida normally found in U.S. stitching kits. I know a lot of stitchers are turned off by Aida, but I have no problem with it, and unlike the U.S. kits, I won’t need to wash this fabric before I start.
The pattern is printed in black and white in large, clear symbols. The symbols used are very different, making it very easy to follow. My only critique would be that rather than using multiple pages of A4 paper, the pattern is printed on two pieces of what we know here in the U.S. as tabloid size (approximately 11×17 inches). For me personally, that’s a bit big to be handling with my stitching since I normally don’t stitch at a table. I am a little concerned that the pages are going to fray where I need to fold it over, and since there’s no shaded “repeating columns” from page to page like you see in many patterns, I’m going to have to be super careful not to crease the paper too badly or I may lose a column of stitches down the fold line. I confess that this concern comes from my very bad habit of being a bit rough on patterns as I stitch. Your mileage may vary depending on your habits.
Overall, I definitely recommend the kits based on what I see here. If you’re looking for a new stitch project, pop over to her site and take a browse!
And yes, this project will be showing up as a new start in the near future, so stay tuned. 🙂