Yiota's Cross Stitch kit review

For at least the last 12 months I've seen reviews popping on various blogs for Yiota's Cross Stitch (www.yiotas-xstitch.com) and had the thought flit across my mind that it must lovely to be asked to do one and I was right it is :)

I spent a good hour or more on Sunday afternoon having a good look wander round Yiota's site and eventually narrowed it down to three.

Out of my three this is the one that was chosen for me to review.

It arrived within a couple of days of the arrangement being made in a card backed envelope, no pic of that sorry it's gone off to the great recycling god and besides you all know what they look like.

I love that's it nice and plain with no fancy artwork (other than the expected logo for Yiota) or an array of colour to take away from the lovely big clear pic of the project on the front of the kit.

Turn the pack over and you are greeted with all the thread nice and neatly displayed on bobbins with the number clearly labelled which is a huge bonus and means no sitting scratching your head wondering which colour is which and having to fight with this big hank of thread that will get knotted almost as soon as you try to sort it out!
The thread is Maderia which is one I've not used for along time but there is a DMC conversion on the key which is very useful

I did think it must be very fiddly and time consuming to line all the bobbins up in the pack because I have had kits in the past just like that but with full skeins not bobbins but when I opened it up I found them stuck to an adhesive sheet which had me a little worried cause I thought the back of the thread and bobbin would be sticky when I took them off it but they aren't at all and they came away very easily and it hasn't even made the thread go a little fuzzy

There are 2 sheets of instructions in the kit, one gives you hints and tips and the other is more the actual how to stitch which is very clear and easy to understand but it's written out and  I think that a diagram or two may be useful for complete beginners.
The chart it's self is printed across an A3 page making it nice and clear and big enough to see easily because my design is long and thin I have half the page to make notes on if I want to but has the downside of making it a little difficult to handle and it will have to be folded to make it easier

The fabric is generous, lovely to stitch on and came folded so that the centre was already there for you so all you have to do is put it on the frame, thread the needle that's waiting for you in the corner and get started.

Had the fabric come ready surged it would of been absolutely perfect but that's a minor thing really and is entirely down to my own pref to have my edges oversewn to stop fraying

Overall I think it's one of the best kit's I've ever had my hands on and I will certainly add more of them to my stash in the future.

And yes I've started it today, it is my Birthday today after all and I do treat myself to a new start every year for it :)