Aw, thanks so much ☺️ It makes me so happy to know my tips can help you out, and I hope you have a wonderful time rediscovering your stitchy bug 😄

Thank you 😊 The downside to stitching it in hand was washing 4 years worth of invisible dirt out at the end 😂 It didn't look dirty but the washing water said otherwise! I'm stitching the next huge piece all in hand as well and thinking I might do a 'stitch with me' video as I know a few people are interested to see it in action! If I can figure out the best camera set up then I'll do it 😄

Yes please!!😊👍

Yayyyyy!!! This has made me so happy that you are going to start your first HAED 😆 And thank you for your kind words too 😄 Have fun on your stitchy journey!

Thank you ☺️ No matter the size it's just one stitch at a time I guess! I think this one will always be really special for me 😄 But I also can't wait to start the dragon!

Aw, thank you, that's lovely of you 😊 As luck would have it...I filmed my very first 'stitch with me' which I think is just what you were asking for; kzfaq.info/sun/PLyoIK9ZZ8iiIaBhQbtWbyai8sNNVdwobh I'm planning on doing more of these in future 😄

Thank you ☺️ It felt sooooo good to finish it 😄

Thanks so much 😊 They certainly aren't quick projects and the confetti is 😬😬😬. I've definitely seen more in progress than finished 😂

Thanks so much 😊

Thanks Mum ☺️ I'm blaming/thanking Tim for getting me to put the pictures in 😂 I think I've watched that time lapse about 20 times now; I find it mesmerising!

Thank you! I'm so glad I did it because it's really fun to see it grow 😄

Thank you ☺️ I am impatient for the supplies to arrive so I can start the dragon...and I'll share of course 😄

Thanks so much ☺️ I'm glad you enjoyed seeing this epic project 😄

So glad you found this and enjoyed it! I have to say that there are only a small number of full coverage patterns that I would actually stitch. It needs to be something with interest and colour otherwise I think I'd get bored and give up 😂

Thanks so much; I'm delighted to hear how much you enjoyed the video 😊 All the different creatures were so much fun to stitch and that's so lovely they reminded you of home 😄

Thank you and I'm so glad you enjoyed seeing this 😊

Thank you 😄

Thank you 😊 I'm busy working on the next one 😄

Hi there and thank you ☺️ I'm so glad my stitching was inspiring for you. I'll be popping over to visit your Flosstube when I can 😄

Aw, thanks so much 😊 It did feel so good to finish it and it's now at the framers 😄

Thank you 😊

Thank you 😊 It was so fun to see all the progress photos put together 😄 I wasn't sure if I would do it for future huge projects but I think I will because it's so satisfying!

Thanks so much 😊

@@catkinandlillie I’m so thrilled your channel popped up! New subbie!

Thanks so much ☺️ I'm really looking forward to being able to display it 😄

Stamped cross stitch seems like a great place to start to get the hang of the technique although I've never actually tried one myself! I promise the counting is not too hard though...but I would look for a pattern without lots of separated motifs that you would need to count between as that can be more tricky.

@@catkinandlillie I’m considering starting a small counted cross stitch to try it out. I want to try different fabrics too. I absolutely love your videos. They are so helpful and inspiring! Thank you so much!

Aw, that's brilliant to hear that my videos are inspiring you 😊 It's so much fun trying different patterns and fabrics. Happy stitching 😄

Thank you ☺️ Its truly been a delight to stitch all the lovely animals and I'm soooo ready to start the dragon; just waiting on my supplies 😄

@@catkinandlillie omg that’s the hardest part is waiting on supplies. I have a fancy mermaid 🧜‍♀️ I am waiting on 2 bead packs so I can start her. I won’t until I have all the embellishments because I have learned you may not be able to get them. My Dmc I wait until I am actually ready to start due to how easy it is for me to get if I don’t already have in my stash… keep producing your videos!

Oooooh...is that a Bella Filipina mermaid? I have my first one of those to start as soon as I get the fabric and threads. I've got the beads though! I totally agree that waiting for supplies is so hard 😂

@@catkinandlillie yessss to both! One good thing about Bella Filipina is at least the designer is easier to reach via IG. Unlike some of the other fancy lady/mermaid, that you can’t reach to ask if they have a recommendation for substitutes.

@@catkinandlillie are you going to do the fiberlicious & BF first SAL? I am waiting on supplies to come in for it. It’s a seasons mermaids. It will be my second ever SAL

Yup, I love how fast I can go in hand...but despite practice I'm slower with the sewing method so it's stab and stitch for me 😂

Oof, that is huuuuge! I bet it will look incredible though and you will be so proud 😀 Good luck!

Thank you ☺️ I'll be sharing as soon as I start the dragon...and I have another project to start soon that I also can't wait to share 😄

Thank you 😊

Thanks so much 😊

Thank you 😊 I really enjoyed sharing all about it. I started the dragon and shared it in Flosstube #6 😄

Thanks so much 😊 I sometimes can't quite believe I did it but there it is on my wall as proof 😂

Thanks so much 😊 It really was such a delight to stitch 😄

Thank you Laura 😊 It was so lovely to be able to share all about it 😄 Can't wait to start the next one!

Thank you and it was really a delight to be able to share it with everyone ☺️

Aw, thanks for your lovely kind words 😊 Stitching in hand comes so much more easily to me but I was surprised how well it still worked for such a large project! I hope you enjoy the other videos...new one out today 😜

Thank you ☺️ I can't quite believe I finally finished it!

Thank you 😊 I love how the time lapse turned out...I'm doing the same for my current huge full coverage too 😄

Thanks so much 😊 How exciting that you are starting your first HAED 😆 Just enjoy the journey 😄

Thank you 😄

Thanks so much ☺️ It really was a proud moment to finish it 😄

Thanks so much 😊

Wow, that's so lovely of you, thank you 😊 I am so happy you enjoyed the video 😄

Thanks so much; I'm delighted you are enjoying my videos 😄

Thank you 😊

Yeah I liked that bit too.

Thank you so much 😊

Aw, thank you; I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊

Thank you 😊 Definitely a lot of work but so worth it 😄

Thank you 😊 I have to credit my lovely husband for suggesting the inset pics, and also for taking the photos for the time lapse! It was slightly irritating unrolling the fabric every 1% for a photo but I do love the finished effect with the time lapse so I think I will do it for the next project too 😄

Thank you 😊 I think the stitching in hand surprises most people but I genuinely find it so much easier. I might do a 'stitch with me' video one day to share how it works for me.

I did love the mystery element to what I was stitching! It doesn't really work for the dragon, especially when I put the picture into every flosstube 😂 Have you seen the dragon progress in my more recent flosstubes? It's doing well 😄

Thank you so much 😊 It does feel like a great achievement, and such fun to stitch too 😄

Oh goodness, what a journey you have been on and I'm so glad you were able to get back to stitching 😄 That HAED you have chosen is so beautiful. It's the one I would do if I do another Aimee Stewart. I actually bought the jigsaw puzzle of it because I love it so much! I bought my 25 count evenweave from Lakeside Needlecraft; they stock lovely big pieces. I hope you have the most magical time stitching this gorgeous design 🩷

Thanks so much for your kind words ☺️ That's awesome that you are going to start a HAED and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did 😄

Thank you 😄 It was very tiny stitches but ok with just using 1 strand; you get used to it really quickly!

Thank you! The lovely colours and intricacy of the design was a big factor in staying motivated as I could see progress even if I stitched just a few hundred stitches. It also helped because I was stitching it almost every day, so I guess it also became a bit of a habit. I can't wait to start my next huge project...I know I've revealed what it is but I'll have more about it in my next video too 😄

@@catkinandlillie yes please do looking forward to seeing your progress 💕

Thank you and I'm delighted you found it helpful 😊 I think it's definitely a good idea to wait until you find a design that you really love for a full coverage because you will be spending a lot of time with it! I hope you find the one for you 😄

Thank you 😊 I can definitely recommend stitching it! Sure it takes a while but it's so worth it 😄 Go for it!!

Thank you 😄 The teabag pattern is one of my own so here's the link catkinandlillie.etsy.com/listing/991435808

Wow! I admire your dedication 😄 I am not sure I'd ever have finished it if I'd gone for that version 😂

Thanks so much 😊 I have to say that I wouldn't get 200 stitches per hour in a very confetti heavy area...more like 70-100 similar to you. But I can do 200 or more for some areas, so 200 per hour was more of an average. In terms of stitching I think I'm a bit odd in how I do it, because I don't do rows or blocks. I just work outwards from the top left corner and pick a colour adjacent to what I've already done, work that in a section but if I would have to take that thread a really long way to get to more stitches of that colour then I just finish the thread and move into the next closest colour. I do work mostly in the Danish method of doing a row of half stitches then going back across to complete them, but I'll do single stitches where there are more isolated/spread out stitches. I'm thinking of doing a stitch with me while I work on my Chromatic Dragon to show how I work on a full coverage...it's probably a lot easier to show than to explain! Thanks for your interest in my stitching 😄

Thank you so much for replying to my question! I think it would be absolutely brilliant to see a stitch-a-long of your new project! I’ll keep my eyes open for that!! :) Happy stitching!

Yay!! It's such a gorgeous pattern; hope you have fun stitching it...and you'll probably be quicker than me 😂

@@catkinandlillie 😊❤️

Thank you 😊 Ah, interesting that you went for a middle start even if it didn't work out so well. I hope you can stick with it and I'm sure it will look amazing when it's finished 😄 I hope you get to the Amazing Animal Kingdom one day; it's a really fun stitch and I bet your grandsons would love it!

Thank you 😊 You can get mini patterns for some Aimee Stewart designs which I think are parts of full designs so maybe that could work? I'm so happy you're enjoying my videos 😄

Thank you 😄 I hope you have as much fun stitching it as I did. I put all 90 colours on floss drops and split them over 3 large bunder rings, so 30 colours on each ring, in shade number order. If you're watching my Flosstubes I'll try to remember to show this for my Chromatic Dragon in an episode because it's basically the same.

I just finished watching some of your how to videos. Thanks. Just waiting for my fabric to arrive on the 8th. I saw this and suggested to my wife that she should stitch it and she replied that I should stitch it! So I am! 🤞🏼 Thanks for all the tips you’ve shared. Bill

Thank you so much ☺️ I can't imagine doing the max version but your stitch in time pattern will look amazing, and all you can do is take it one stitch at a time. Progress is progress even if it's slow 😄 It's just giving you more time to enjoy stitching it! I will definitely be sharing progress on the dragon; I can't wait to start it 😄

I'm clapping for you@@catkinandlillie

Oooooh, that really is a LOT of stitches but what an achievement it will be when you finish 😄

Sorry, not sorry if I'm going to be enabling you as I share my progress 😂

Oooh, that is a LOT of colours!! Tent stitch sounds like a great option though. Good luck and I'm sure you'll be delighted with it 😄

Thank you 😊 Oh yes, that's another lovely design...but there are so many lovely ones that it's really hard to pick!

Just found a video showing the framed piece so I answered my own question 😍

It was an epic stitch for sure! I'm glad you find the video with it framed...I love it so much 😍 For stitching with 1 strand I run under 3-4 stitches on the back both to start and end. Nothing fancy but it works for me 😄

Thank you and I'm happy if I've helped you in any way 😊 It is certainly harder to keep motivated on larger projects, and my new one is tricky because there is soooo much black/very dark blue at the start 😬 I do a bit then 'treat' myself to a more interestingly coloured section 😂 The picture on the wall in the time lapse is one I did probably over 20 years ago so I don't know what it is although I think maybe a magazine pattern. If you want to see it more closely then it's in my flosstube #5 with all my FFOs and house tour 😃

Oooh, they have a really pretty and whimsical style, and lovely colours too; I can see why you like them 😃

Thank you ☺️ 27,000 stitches is still pretty big! And you have more than one of those on the go; that's impressive! There's no backstitch on this; I don't think any HAEDs have backstitch. I don't mind backstitch but it might have been a bit much on a design this size 😂

Yeah, it would be a LOT of backstitching!

Hi Susan and welcome to my channel; so lovely to have you here 😄 The app is actually called Pattern Keeper so if you search for that on the Play store you should find it. It is only available for Android devices though. It also doesn't work with every pattern but most of the really big patterns like those from HAED are compatible. Happy stitching 🪡😄

Thanks so much 😊 Yup, there was a lot of starting and stopping of threads...even for 1 or 2 stitches! I just got used to it, and stitching in hand makes it really easy to flip the fabric to run in the thread to start and finish. I'm aiming to do more videos of how I do things when I start the dragon as lots of people seem interested.

I prefer to stitch up and to the left or down and to the right, so that would mean a top left or bottom right corner start. And for the same reason as you (I agree about the hand oils!), I now favour a bottom right corner start because I'm always working away from my completed stitches. I hadn't got this figured out when I started my HAED 4 years ago though 😂

@@catkinandlillie I just purchased my first HAED…I was showing my daughter a pretty design and they were on sale. How could I resist?

Wooohooo!! I'm so excited for you 😆 Do you share cross stitch on Instagram because if so let me know the link so I can check out your progress!

@@catkinandlillie I do Instagram with The Stitching Owl name like my flosstube. I am having fun with the different aspects of stitching.

Thank you 😊 It's funny you should mention the sewing method because I only just made a video about this a week or so ago! But I actually didn't love it (reasons in the video!) and I didn't use it at all for my HAED. Do you use the sewing method?

@@catkinandlillie I have just started to stitch in hand but I must admit my stitches do not look as nice as when using a hoop.

It does take some getting used to but it will come with practice 😀

Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing 😊 I don't know if my tension could have been better if I used a frame but it seems ok to me, although of course, it will look better when washed and pressed. If I had confetti of a few different colours over a fairly large area then I did each colour one at a time, but if it was just 1 or 2 stitches then I did just start and stop the thread for this by running it under a few stitches on the back. Stitching in hand makes it really easy to flip the fabric to do this, so that was an advantage. I did stitch lots of other projects alongside this huge one; I like to have a variety to choose from and yes, you'll see those in my other videos 😄

Thank you so much ☺️ That's a really good question about the mistakes and yes, I definitely made mistakes! I actually just left in a few where I had 1 stitch in the wrong place because in most cases it wouldn't have made any visible difference. If it was a bigger mistake then I unpicked it and re-did it, but fortunately I only had a few of these and only small amounts to unpick. In a few cases if I noticed one stitch in the wrong colour and the correct colour was a darker one, then I stitched over the top with the correct colour! I wouldn't do this on any other pieces but on a HAED you can't tell so it's a good fix! I am thinking a video on apps would be quite good because I've seen an alternative to Pattern Keeper recently so I'm keen to try that. I shall report back!

@catkinandlillie Sounds good. 👍 I'm glad you're human like the rest of us - I had you up on a pedestal and imagined you stitched for four years without one mistake... 🤣

No mistakes...I wish 😂 I'm very definitely human on that front!

Ooh, you are doing so well with that 😄 I'd be so intrigued to see it with the extra colours; are you sharing it anywhere like Instagram so I can check it out?

I put it on FFC's wip wednesday page a couple of months ago. Im not tech savvy so my grand daughter does that for me. I will ask her to get an update on there this afternoon when she comes to see me. Tons of confetti. Yours is really beautiful. I love Aimee Stewart designs. I'm trying to decide on what I want to stitch next. How long did it take you to finish ?

So sorry...what is FFC please? The design is quite confetti heavy but it does give a lovely effect. This one took me just under 4 years but the next project (the dragon) is smaller so I might get it done in 2 years 🤞

@@catkinandlillie Sorry about that .I spelled it wrong it's actually FCF which stands for full coverage fanatics. I still didn't get an updated picture on there but you can probably find my old picture. I started my piece in Sept. 2020 on 28 count fabric and quickly realized I can't see to work that small so I restarted it on Feb 7 2021 on a 20 count.

I found the pictures on FCF!! It's looking amazing 😍 I'm glad you found the count to suit you; it's definitely important on such a big project 😃

Hi Nessa, Thanks so much for your lovely comments, and I'm so happy you are enjoying my Flosstubes 😄 Your questions are all such good ones and I have made a note to talk about them when I start the dragon pattern as I'm sure more people would also love to know these things! Ok, so the confetti...I stitched one colour at a time over the area of confetti and then the next and the next until it's filled in. I try to make all my stitches in the same way, so I'll work the first colour in rows from left to right, leaving the gaps for other colours. Then the next colour again in rows from left to right, and do on until it's done. I usually do the colour with the most stitches in that confetti section first and then work my way through to the colour with the least stitches. For thread organisation, I had each colour on a floss drop and 30 floss drops on each of 3 large binder rings, all in shade number order with the shade number on the front and the symbol on the back of the floss drop. I kept these all in a large box along with my scissors, tablet stylus and fabric. The pattern stated the thread usage so I did buy all of the skeins at the start, and then decided to use 1 strand instead of 2 so actually had more than I needed! I got it all up front as I was worried about dye lot changes but in fact I don't think you would really notice these anyway in this kind of design. Going for 1 strand meant no loop start (boo 😩) so I started each thread by running it under 3 or 4 stitches on the back. Since I stitch in hand it wasn't too hard to keep flipping my fabric to do this. I tried a supposed 1 strand loop start but it was not sufficiently secure. I keep meaning to try a pin stitch to start. Ok, I hope that answers your questions and thanks again for your interest in the project...let me know if you have any more questions 😄

Thanks so much Kat for answering my questions Your advice is super helpful and useful to me as I contemplate further on my HAED start 😀 I've also seen various videos on the one strand loop start although I've yet to put it to the test. Knowing that the thread is secured sufficiently is so important and definitely something that we have to feel 100% confident about as we embark on such mammoth projects! Check, check and check again is my cross stitch motto! 🤣 I have trialled one of the pin stitch methods on Aida, I know there are several different methods depending on which fabric and thread combination you're using etc, which worked well for me but I need to investigate further in regards to evenweave, stitching 1 over 1. Ohh, maybe it could be a future topic for one of your videos if it's not already on your list?! 😉 Have a happy and hopefully stitchy weekend Kat, Nessa

Hi Nessa, You've probably figured by now how much I love to test everything and especially if I can then share what I learn 😄 I'm definitely thinking about investigating different 1 strand starts and making a video on that! I have a LOT of video ideas though 😂 I'm getting super close to starting the dragon and I'll hopefully have a WIP update video in the next week so I'll share it all kitted up 😄

Brilliant!! 😀 Looking forward to it!

Thank you 😊 I suspect the high confetti areas are tricky however you approach them. I will keep the same colour of thread over an area until I would have to travel too far to the next stitches of that colour. 'Too far' varies somewhat; if I can run the thread under some existing stitches to get to the next bit I will travel maybe up to 3cm or so (maybe 4 if I'm being super lazy!) but if I would have to go across currently blank fabric then I'll travel only around 1.5cm max. That approach did mean I had quite a lot of occasions where I would start a thread colour, do a single stitch, or maybe just 2 or 3 and then end it. Let me know if you need any more info and I hope you have fun stitching your design 😄

@@catkinandlillie thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my question. I like what you have mentioned you do and will save this info. I am really glad that I came across your video and saw how lovely your finish looked using 25 count and using just the 90 or so colours, instead of maxing out the colours. It makes the project completely do-able for me now. Also, where did you buy the lovely wooden drawers from? Do they sit in one of those Ikea cabinets? Thank you 🙂

Great, I'm glad that was helpful and it really is amazing how good the effect is just with 90 colours! The wooden drawer units with the skinny drawers are thread skein storage from creations-by-rod.co.uk/ and the ones with 4 drawers I have had for so long I don't know where they came from. The ones with shelves are Creations by Rod too. And yes, the unit is IKEA...Kallax I think.

@@catkinandlillie thank you for the info. I will go and check Creations by Rod out. It will probably be a dream as I live in Australia, but maybe I can convince my DH 🙂

Good luck with that 🤞

You should still feel good about your progress, it's not a race! Progress is progress and as long as you are enjoying stitching it absolutely doesn't matter how long it takes. I also don't go that fast if it's a confetti heavy, lots of colour changing section!

I absolutely enjoy the process. I can't get enough stitchy time.@@catkinandlillie

Thank you! My stitch speed varies so much depending on what I'm stitching and I could actually go a little faster on my HAED because I wasn't railroading my stitches as I was only using 1 thread...but then there was confetti 🙄😂 I'll definitely look at doing a stitch with me video at some point 😄

Go for it! It's charted by Paine Free Crafts; sorry if I wasn't clear enough although it was also on the pattern picture on screen 😜 😂 Let me know if you go for it!

DMC 1 is actually a very very pale grey...look for 1 or 01. It's not B5200 or Blanc. At least that's what I used anyway!

Thank you 😊 It took me just under 4 years to complete!

Hey, that's fab that you are thinking of stitching this too 😄 I didn't do any parking other than the odd thread very very occasionally and I don't tend to stitch cross country. I think I might be a bit unusual! I just stitch across and down from the top left corner, with whatever colour comes next in the pattern and end my thread when I've finished that bit of it. I'll go a small way out from my main stitched area but not far. I hope you'll have fun stitching this! 😄