Tobin Penguin Party Counted Cross Stitch Stocking Kit

The design is cute and the instructions are easy to follow. There are, however, 2 problems with this kit:1. I've run out of a number of colors of thread before I finished. It would appear that they either didn't send me the correct number of lengths for each color, or that each pre-cut length was shorter than it was supposed to be. I've never run out of a color before on any other cross stitch project, so I'm pretty sure it's them and not me. However, they do say in the instructions if you run out, they'll send you more for free and give you an address to send in your request. (Rather than go through the hassle of requesting more thread from the manufacturer, I just chose a color that matched "close enough" from my stash of leftover embroidery floss from other projects).2. The canvas (meant to be the blue background) is not nearly as blue as the picture; the canvas in my kit is barely off-white. Now, as a general rule, when a project calls for empty canvas as the background I usually purchase thread in the background color and go through and cross stitch the entire background anyway (even white) because I think it gives the whole project a more finished look. In this case, I will just choose a blue color that matches the photo, rather than an off-white that matches the true color of the canvas. But if you leave the background blank, the moon and snow will be barely distinguishable from the background.

I learned to cross stitch as a kid, but I haven't done it at all since. I decided that I wanted my children to have holiday heirlooms, so I would pick it back up again and make stockings. My baby was born in March and I bought this kit half way through maternity leave. Well, I finished just before her second Christmas. Of course, I did put it away for months at a time during that time. And, I was working full time, taking care of an infant, and going to grad school, but even if I had more time/experience this is a time-consuming project.All that said, I love her stocking. Its very cute and all the beads and metallic thread add a nice touch. People's comments about the blue Aida are correct. It is MUCH lighter than shown. Had I more time, I would have liked to stitch the whole thing blue to be as blue as pictured, but I didn't and it does still look nice. I also added metallic outlines to the snow to help it shimmer and I changed a few of the odd colors (green on house and candy cane were changed). I messed up the format of the top and had to buy some white fur to finish it, but that was me and my lack of experience.In short, I am very happy with my end result. Although, I am pregnant with my second now and anticipating another long haul with a new design.

This was my first effort at cross stitching, however, I am one of those people who can pick up almost any crafting project very quickly.Here's what I found..It is extremely time consuming. I started a week before Thanksgiving and finished 3 days before Christmas. Basically all I did on weekends was stitch. I tend to be more of an improvisor so the many different focuses allowed me some leeway for mistakes.The counting will throw you off here and there, if you miscount 1 or drop a line it throws the whole balance off and you'll either have to readjust the image or rip back to the mistake.There was plenty of thread in every color. I decided I didn't like the outlining w/ the metallic threads so I ended up simply over stitching the areas I wanted to shimmer more- not a cross stitch just a diagonal over the square- you don't need to do every one so it tends to be faster as well. As a result my whole snow covered roof shimmers as does my moon-- not just some edges here and there.Overall very cute.HOWEVER, the background color is very close to white-- nowhere near the blue shown in the picture which tends to wash the whole image out.I would suggest either adding even more time to the project by purchasing thread to it all in- or getting yourself a colored backing before starting.3 stars for such misleading coloration

This Counted Cross Stitch is an adorable pattern that is extremely easy to follow. The penguins are very cute, and the colors are bright and fun. The use of floss is great in the set, unlike other sets where it has been a pain; here it is easy to use and really adds to the overall design!However, there was one major flaw for me with this set. In the image on the front of the package, the background is a light blue, but allows for the white snowflakes and moon to stand out. However, my Aida Cloth was nearly white, making it impossible to see. This was an easy fix- I went to Michaels and picked up a light blue for the ground and a slightly darker blue for the sky. While it was a hassle to cross-stitch the entire background, the final effect was great and made this stocking even prettier than the original blue background it should have had!

The Aida is a light blue that is almost white, not like in the picture. There’s white and a light blue thread that blend almost completely into the fabric, indistinguishable in contrast to the fabric around the stitches of these colors. The different shades of colors are only one slight shade above or below their fellow colors, so in places where there is “shading” or a change in colors that are similar, the change is subtle and it’s almost like you didn’t switch colors at all. I’m pretty disappointed with the kit and am about halfway through, I know I will have a lot more work to do to try to get the white and light blue to stand out, or abandon the project altogether. The pictures are false in showing the way the real product looks.

I wanted it to be a bit bigger so I added the strip over her name, same fabric lines the back it was what was included in the kit. I did line the inside with white fabric because I felt it would hold up better. Also I didn’t do real well cutting out the shape but I’m happy with it