Stitching a Chatelaine was on my Stitching Bucket List from the day I first saw one. But I couldn't decide which one! Like you, I don't like a lot of repetition and I also wanted one that was meaningful to me. When she released Gardens on London I knew that was The One. Four different sets of buildings, eight different gardens and the gorgeous one in the middle. London is a place I know well and several family members have lived there. I got the chart and fabric for a Big Zero Birthday and all my blogging friends gifted me a skein or two of the speciality threads. The bead pack will be a gift when I get nearer to actually needing beads! By coincidence, I am stitching it as I watch this video.

I only started cross stitching 1.5 years ago and I'm 63. I've done( or still doing) 3 kits. They were not simple lil patterns. I did change stitches, threads and color of each. I like to make things my own

Your Chatelaine video is great. Thank you for all the pros and cons which makes me want to stitch a Chatelaine. Thank you, Thank you!!!!

There are no words to describe yours. Amazing, gorgeous, beautiful and no I haven't stitched one nor will I ever. I know my limits in life. I would rip it up in frustration. I'm 62 and not sure I would ever get it done. I'm in awe of people that can do the pieces like yours.

Your chatelaine is beautiful. Silk purl is mean to be couched in place, not dragged through the Fabric. The only time it goes through the fabric is when you “sink” the ends. He that helps. Thanks for participating in Sassy Jack’s September Soiree,

Your Chatelaine is absolutely stunning...brava!!! I would never stitch one...too much going on...too many threads, beads, speciality stitches, boo-boo's, blah blah blah...I easily get confused so I imagine mine would look like an elegant and colorful hairball. I loved the video...thanks so much for sharing.

You are so much more ambitious than I. Good for you for your honest comments (as always). It is just a stunning piece!

I really enjoy stitching Chatelaine designs and have many kitted up and a couple in the works. Your piece is just beautiful. I will miss her designs. Any stitcher should do at least one because they open your world to so many different fibers, techniques, and colors. They do take patience and attention, but are totally worth it. Thank you for sharing this.

Thank-you for your chat about your experience. I have two chatelaine charts waiting to be kitted up, Evening in the Park and Japanese Garden. I am going to a quilting show in a few weeks and plan to buy as much as I can there and the colour linen I want is out of stock at the moment so my start is already delayed. I am an experienced stitcher and love hand sewing, the more difficult the better 😅😂, because I need a challenge to keep me interested. Thank you for the warning about over buying threads and I will look up the Facebook group and gallery.Happy stitching 🥰

Gorgeous. I am working on watergarden mandala from paper enlarged. I did the kit myself. Took about a year but made a wish list and acquired supplies as gifts or travel souvenirs. More memories attached to supplies. I kit my beads & some crystals from JaValle beads.

Your piece is so gorgeous. What an heirloom you have. Will I ever do it -- nope. I'm trying to finish the Quaker piece I have in rememberance of my mother. Started just after her passing in 2004. I don't have enough years left in me to stitch something that complex. I have done specialty stitches. It was a very big thing in the 80s and 90s, and I took several classes to learn them. I love all the specialty fibers, and I will try anything once. Some of Rainbow Gallery fibers are wonderful, some will drive you insane. I have learned to tame metallic thread by tieing it in the eye of the needle and using really short pieces. But I love seeing other people's work and appreciate the work involved. Loved the video. Till next time, stay safe, stay well, take care.

Thanks for showing off of your Chat, it is absolutely beautiful and your tips are life saving. Thank ya

I would love to stitch one of the larger Chatelaine designs someday. I have stitched the set of three mini mandala #1 (3 designs that are each about 5-6” square). They were great fun! I love specialty stitches and the small designs were my first experience stitching with silk. Each one included one color of Caron Waterlilies silk and one petite treasure braid. The rest was DMC, so it was a great way to try some different materials without spending a fortune. -Patti

I have heard the word "Chatelaine" from various flosstubers, but you are the first to explain what they are. THank you so much! Your project is Beautiful! But not for me at the moment. I just started my first non 14 count aida project - 28 count evenweave. Your correct about trying something new is good to stretch our brains. . . Getting used to stitching over two isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I haven't tried any stitching over one yet.

Great review, thank you. Insanely tiny charts? Staples/Office Depot etc can print out pdfs on huge sheets (which I can then copy in small sections at home...)

Congratulations!!!!! So proud of you and so happy for you! The piece is absolutely breath taking. Sorry you had trouble with the silk purl. I have used it and learned a few tricks to control it. I had spent money on it and could not return it, sooo.. I went to library and looked through old needle point and "fancy"stocked books some of the teaching was not something I would do. I will not put it in need wax and iron it in. And a few more along those lines.the one that helped me most was using a laying tool, watching my tension, and relaxing, enjoy the proceeds. Remember that 99.9% of the people who see it could never tell if it was stitched with silk or wool or if there was a mistake or not . It's your piece, you did the work, you put in the time. It's unique! It's wonderful! And it's finished! Onward to the next beautiful chart. Hugs

Wow, I had no idea what a chatelaine was! Very lovely!

Your Chatelaine is the most beautiful piece I have ever seen! Nicely done!

Wow...thanks so much Stephanie❤️

I own a Chatelaine because of you showing your beautiful Mushroom & Fern one. I would love to stitch that as well. I haven’t stitched the one I have yet, because I’m working on so much already. You have certainly have inspired me to go for it. I’ll be going to those sites and Facebook too. Thank you for all the insight on her patterns.

Wow it sure is beautiful. What an accomplishment for you. It will look beautiful in your home

I have finished Martina's Taj Mahal and am about 75% done with Alpine Garden. I have several of her patterns that are not kitted yet. In the past she has provided a conversion to use only DMC threads instead of the specialty threads but it will not have the same effect. If you have a pdf program then you can enlarge the patterns. I do it all the time. Updated charting and supply lists are provided when necessary.

Oh my gosh! I so loved your video. I love all your tips, your thoughts, what you liked and what you didn’t. I have 2, Marie Antoinette and Desert. You have given me inspiration to start. You mention a Q-Snap stand. I am very interested in purchasing one. Thank-you so much, I really love your video.

Great recap - thanks for sharing. A chatelaine is definitely on my 'one day' list. Your's is stunning.

Amazing. I loved your helpful video. You are adorable and your stitching is lovely! Great idea for a video

I have never heard of Chatelaine until your video and I am dying to stitch this exact one! It is absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing your tips.

This is unbelievably beautiful. Fabulous

WOW 😉 I love it. Please show us after you have it framed. And yes I want to stitch it.

Oh, the Chatelaines! How much I love to look at them closely! Stitching one? Not sure. I just wouldn’t know what to do with one later, given its size and garish colours I don’t want it hanging in my house, my parents don’t need it either hmm but then spending so much time and resources it’s kinda mean to leave in my drawer .. so for now I am still considering and if I am in the mood to play with kreiniks I work on Terrence Nolan charts :)

New subscriber here. I started my first Chatelaine and am just taking my time and enjoying the feel of the silks and the specialty stitches as I go. I think that breaks up the monotony of stitching 4 sides identical to each other. Loved your video. I ordered the paper chart from European Cross Stitch and took it to a UPS store and had the pattern enlarged to fit a 11x18 paper and it made a world of difference in reading the chart.

Absolutely stunning Chatelaine!😃

Your piece is fantastic. I agree with so many of your comments. My take - Martina is a genius but the patterns suck. It feels like she took shortcut on the charting without really caring about their usability. Thankfully there are PDFs. I am working on Japanese Garden but breaking down into bite size pieces as I have discovered that I do not like stitching the same thing over and over but I love the finished result. I also found the colour chart more useful for working out the backstitch colours. Can anyone explain the merit of charting backstitch in the same colour as the underlying blocks (both charts are like this)? I had to magnify to 600% to see!!! As you can tell, I’m not a fan of the charts but genius is genius and I want to have mine up on the wall in a few years 🙂🥳

I'm about to start my first Chatelaine and this video is fabulous!!! Thank you!

I love your “REAL” approach to things. You are such a breath of fresh air 🥰

I am all about those webs and spiders! Your piece turned out so so gorgeous. The lugana looks like a great choice for stitching a piece like that. GO YOU!

Stephanie, your Chatelaine is just gorgeous!! I DO have a Chatelaine that I have not started yet. It is Gothic Arch Ornament 3 Red. It is a beautiful piece but that whole "making the PDF readable" really did give me pause. I finally have a copy of it enlarged, but it is not too easy to read still...Just finding all the pieces of the pattern that I need will be a chore!! So today I downloaded Pattern Keeper on my tablet and will hopefully get started on it soon. We'll see. LOL Thank you for sharing your trials and triumphs in the making of yours. It's SO pretty!! Elizabeth

This was a great review. Thank you for saying that the specialty stitch diagrams were awful and that there are errors. Ppl seem to think you can only praise these, but the charts actually are super problematic. Now granted, you can figure it out and they are gorgeous, but I really appreciate you being honest about it. Thank you! Great project. I'm sure that 20 color snail is super impressive in real life ;)

I like kitting, and saving money, I like to do conversions as well. Your piece is fabulous.

That is absolutely gorgeous! I have no yearning to attempt a Chatelaine, but feel inspired that I COULD if I wanted to. Thank you for your honest review.

This was so helpful! I loved this review so much! I have Autumn Watergarden mándala kitted up (like a year ago) and just haven’t mustered the courage to start! Now I am tempted to get the mushroom mandala because of your finish 😂🤯 Thanks for the video!!

Omg it looks fantstic id love to stitch one but i would be 90 by the time its done . LolAmy i love your design s there so cute.

Your finished Chatelaine is stunningly gorgeous!

I’ve never stitched one and thought I never would want to, but now I’ve picked out mini mandala 3! 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤣🥰

Gorgeous gorgeous piece.. Love your honesty 😊

It would be wonderful if they could be updated with clearer charts, it is so daunting! I am currently kitting up Zen Moss Garden! Maybe I will start it in 2022 on my birthday. 😀 The ultimate high tea start.... Loved your honesty. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful work 🧡 you’re right, it’s only cross stitch. I started my first one last week (Holland) and I kitted it myself rather than buy the kit from the states and perhaps have to pay extra for import. Some UK stitchers get stung with that and some don’t. Haven’t bought any beads yet tho, I might go to ECC for that. I’ve used the dmc instead of the npi, and have bought some of the variegated silks where I felt it might be important. Thank you for dispelling the mystique, there is none really. Although they’re BIIIIIIG! X

Wow Stephanie your Chatelaine is beautiful. I WAS thinking of doing one, but now think it is probably way out of my pay grade!!!

Your project is breathtaking! I am amazed at your talent --- I would love to stitch something like this but right now, I have so many things I want to stitch that I'll never live long enough to get even half of them done! ---- Well, unless I live to be 300 or so.... Thank you for sharing this with us --- I learned so much.

I have done one chatelaine, The Button Garden and really love it. I also bought the pdf and found it confusing but it can be figured out. I found that I really needed to go through the instructions a couple of times to get it clear in my head what comes next. You did a beautiful job on your piece .

Fantastic! beautiful stitching

Your project is amazing !!

Amazing, Stephanie! Your project is absolutely beautiful. Definitely something to remember for when I am retired. LOL I also very much appreciate your honest comments. Something that detailed cannot be without its challenges, but knowing even with the aggravating factors it is still worth the effort is most important. However I am disturbed by knowing the pattern has errors that are not being corrected for future purchasers but instead future purchasers can find out about the errors and necessary corrections from others. Frankly I think that's just rude. But I do love a challenge and will be putting this on my some future day list. Stay safe and true to yourself.

Uuuuuum!! OMG! That's outrageously gorgeous! I so understand why you fell for this and now I have too. But it's definitely a life goal for me and not something I can do now. This entire video was a delight, those patterns and colors will dance in my head! Loved it!

Yay! Yes just do it! Love it , beautiful stitching watching your video whilst still working on evening in the park trees I’m so done with the trees lol lovely to hang out with you and your chatelaine chat.

What a beautiful, stunning piece of art. On another note, maybe one of your wandering hooligans can take the three extra cards of pearl silk and start that fire for you.

Your chatelaine is absolutely breathtaking. I have recently started Rose lights it is my first chat, I have the Paris, London parks and Scotland patterns just need to save up a small fortune to kit them up lol. Have really enjoyed hearing about your experiences with stitching your piece. your wondering hooligans and silk pearl cards that you want to start a fire with had me giggling.

Thank you Stephanie. Love your Chatelaine video. I've always wanted to stitch one (a smaller one!). You've encouraged me. Will look up the Chatelaine groups first. Thank you. Hugs.

I loved your honesty and useful information though I doubt I will ever make one. Yours is beautiful. Well done!

This was a great video, thank you. The insight to threads and stitches is very helpful. I have this kitted up (a birthday gift earlier this year), but have been intimidated to start. I keep debating my fabric color and if I want to try and change up the branch colors to resemble birch tree colors instead, but not sure. I love all the little creatures in this Chatelaine. I may add a few more hidden bugs or birds!

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I haven’t done one but have been toying around with doing a smaller one. Yours it absolutely gorgeous! I know myself well enough to know it would be an abandoned project if I tried a large one. I struggle with the Dimensions Gold stockings and the blended floss - 1 stitch here another over there .... I appreciate the honesty about what to expect and that there are pieces you may not enjoy but in the end it is spectacular, you didn’t put me off and if I take the plunge your tips will be invaluable.

Your finished piece is exquisite! I hope you will show us all what it looks like once you have it framed! I have a Chatelaine that I haven't started yet, mainly because I'm kitting it up slowly to minimize the shock to my hobby budget! Thank you for your honesty about the issues and challenges you had with the pattern and materials. I appreciate knowing what to look out for and will now not be panicked when I come across any imperfections in my own project. I appreciate the link to the support groups, too! I have no doubt that when I finally start my project, I'll be visiting them!

Thank you for this video! Your project is absolutely gorgeous. Maybe one day I'll try one!

Hi Stephanie! I have this chatelaine which I purchased as a kit a while back. I've been too scared to start it. I enjoyed your video very much and got a lot of great information from it. I didn't know about the groups or website so I'll definitely be checking them out. Thanks for sharing your experience with this gorgeous chatelaine.

This is an extremely helpful video, great job!

I will definitely do one after this video!

Life Choices! 😂 You make me laugh!

Your Mushroom and Fern turned out just lovely. Can't wait to see it framed!

I would love to one day stitch a Chatelaine, and this video really helped with the kitting it myself. Once I find one that really calls to me, I now feel more confident to kit it myself and not have to sell a kidney 😆 Thank you, it was informative to really learn the pros and cons of these beautiful masterpieces.

Your work is stunning! Glad I’m not the only one living with wandering hooligans, what they don’t damage my alley cats attack. This could be a rough area 🤣

This was so helpful x Thank you x

Absolutely Beautiful! Thank You for Sharing Your experience with Stitching this piece!

I have never wanted to stitch a chatelaine, but wow 🤩 yours is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing it, Karen R

Stunning. I would never finish it though, so sent the video link to my mum to tempt her. Stitching by proxy. Lol. Thank you for the video and for pointing out possible pitfalls to navigate along the way.

What a joy to see you create such an amazing piece of art! My eyes are enchanted by looking at it

That is drop dead gorgeous!!! You did great!!! I appreciate your heads up. I am challenging my self with Pandemic. LOL. More my speed.

You are so funny and extremely patient....so many things to think about! I'm definitely not a fan of repeat stitching or specialty stitches, so I don't think I could have kept up with it! It is absolutely gorgeous! So worth it, because you and your family will be cherishing it forever! What an heirloom to have. Thanks so much for sharing! :)

I have Alpine Garden that I started over 10 years ago 🤦🏻‍♀️ I like the idea of having all the over one threads on a card. I’ll definitely be keeping that one in my back pocket.

What a beautiful work of art. Truly a labor of love. Thank you for sharing your experience.

This video made me laugh. So much fun, great encouragement. I would like to try Chatelaine, but still it's soooo expensive. Maybe I will do it in DMC only. My piece, my wall, my rules😀😀😀

It is so beautiful! I can't wait to see it framed. Thanks for sharing your experience working on it.

Love your Mushroom and Fern and appreciate all the grrr moments that went with it. I have a few Chatelaines - including Mushroom and Fern - all in my WIP stash. I totally agree with your honest review about some of the glitches we encounter along the way, that being said Chatelaines are a wonderful challenge and the threads used are amazing. Martina was indeed a genius in creating this beautiful artwork 😊

Just lovely dear! I can’t imagine the work that went into it! I don’t see myself stitching one but you never know. Loved the sparkle. ❤️Diana

I am waiting to start that pattern!! Thanks for your insights! I bought it from European Cross Stitch. Ugh! Now I have to go look at my fabric. I am concerned about the pattern corrections. I need to find them. Thanks again!

Feel a bit more motivated to get back to mine. I'm doing Japanese zen garden. I'm still in first ring 2 years later. I went for look and the theme rather than getting a small one 🤣 Well done for completing yours.

Thank you so much for the video. I’m working on my first one now, Egypt Mandala Garden, and I have plans for more. I couldn’t agree more with you about just jumping in with a project you love. Why waste time on something you don’t love just for practice if you don’t want to?

Thank you so much for this video! I’ve been thinking about starting a Chatelaine so I’m doing some “research”. Thank you for the resources and the tips and tricks. Congratulations on your finish 🎉❤️🎉 Mushroom and Fern Mandala looks gorgeous. My top two to stitch is Alhambra Gardens (beautiful purples) and Watergarden Mandala (beautiful blues). I’m trying to soak up all the information that I can before taking the plunge.

I LOVE your honesty and encouragement to others! #dosomethingwacky 💖

Absolutely gorgeous!! Love it!! Thank you for sharing this beautiful work of art :)

Oooooooo I’ve been wanting to stitch this Chatelaine! I’m so glad you shared this!

your Chatelaine is stunningly beautiful....i've ordered the pattern, "Alpine Seasons", and am now saving for the rest of the kit. love your work!

I really enjoyed hearing about the Chatelaine stitch. I am trying to push myself. I ordered a lavender and lace Autumn Celtic and I used the conversion that someone showed. It is way beyond my comfort level. I plan to make this a New year start.

Beautiful great job. Congratulations

Spectacular finish, Stephanie!! Can't wait to see it framed!

Beautiful! I commented on your post on the Facebook group that after seeing this finished, I was inspired to take up embroidery again. Loved listening to your opinions... thank you for being honest and doing this video. Well done completing the mandala, please show it to us when its framed.

beautiful. The work you did is incredible.

Absolutely beautiful! One day I’m going to do one of those. After I retire. Thanks for being real about how it was for you.

I’m waiting on a Chatelaine kit….love your honesty! I hope I have the stamina to finish 😂

Beautiful job on this huge project. Thank you for the tips.

Omg I’m with you on that silk perle. HATE is not a strong enough word

Beautiful work Stephanie, thank you. I’m stitching Hydrangea Autumn Fog but I haven’t given it any attention recently, I will do soon. I also have a couple of others kitted up plus more just as PDFs. Chatelaines seem to have an ethereal quality, I love them x