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Thread: Anybody buy anything then?

  1. #21
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    It wasn't the stitching, it was designing the infernal things. Well that was what I called them at the time, now they come out every Christmas, so they must have found a way into my heart somewhere along the line. :) Like Jane I had to do the designing on graph paper as I didn't have a computer much less a cross stitching program. Not that I spent as much as Jane did on her first set-up.

    My first PC cost me just short of £1000, 4MB RAM and 350MB hard drive. I've more than that as GB on my new lappy, and at much less than half the price. The cross stitch program was about £40, but when I moved over to the Professional version it was over £400. My first HP printer cost me over £400 too, though I did buy that on tick, or credit if you prefer. :) My present five/six year old printer cost me about £50, and the cross stitch program was less than £25. Oh and even the printer cartridges for my present HP are cheaper than they were for my first printer, and I have discovered how to refill the things, so I save even more money. :) T'Internet is much cheaper than it was way back at the turn of the century too. I used to pay per minute, won't say what my phone bills were, but considerably more than they are now, including the cost of paying Virgin for t'Internet and calls, while still paying BT for the landline.

    Roz
    Always look on the bright side, if you can't find it then polish up the dull side.

    https://rozneedlesandhooks.wordpress.com/ My Blog

  2. #22
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    Love your designs - great work. I never have the patience to plan out my designs on paper, I tend to do a rough sketch onto graph paper to get some idea of dimension and then design with needle and thread onto the fabric. It's probably the result of being humiliated in art classes at school because I couldn't draw.
    Years ago I made a sampler to mark the 125th anniversary of my sons' primary school - the design came into my head about 2 weeks before the big day so it was a rush job! It included a picture of the building and I found myself up there one evening with my stash of DMC threads holding them up to the stonework to find the best match. It still hangs in the school hall and has become a historic document as the building has been extensively extended and no longer looks like the little village school I depicted.

  3. #23
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    My cross stitch programme cost about £25 and came with a whole load of threads!!! I scanned pictures in and used the programme to create designs, alter colours etc. Like the black and white photo of my dad I converted into sepia to stitch - only took 4 colours.
    Sometimes I'm indecisive, other times I just can't make my mind up :mysmilie_515:

  4. #24
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    Jane's new program, designed by the same chap who did the original, cost less than £25, at least it did when I bought it last year. It also includes some video stuff, and of course loads of charts, and far more of the thread wotsits than the original program. The first one was on two of the five inch disks, or one 3 and a bit inch disk. Now it needs to be on a DVD. :)

    I've done that a few times Chalet School Fan. Anything to try and get the colour looking right. Not easy with stone either as it isn't a uniform colour. I discovered that with one of the very earliest colour photos I ever took. I take it you read the Chalet School books. My mum was a great fan of them, but I really struggled with them. She always bought me books about girls boarding schools, or the classics, though Dickens managed to escape her attentions for some strange reason. I was more into Biggles and books of that ilk. ;)

    The Advent cross stitch kit came this afternoon. I've hidden it away as there is no way I am going to get it finished in time for this Christmas, well not unless I don't work on all the other stuff I have planned. As my Christmas trees are begging for Christmas type biscornu's, watbot's too if I can come up with the right sort of design. Then of course there are Christmas cards that need making. I hadn't done any cross stitched ones for years until last year when cross stitching left handed was about all I could do. Well that and making parchment winter butterflies - snowflakes. :)

    Roz
    Always look on the bright side, if you can't find it then polish up the dull side.

    https://rozneedlesandhooks.wordpress.com/ My Blog

  5. #25
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    Still got the parchment Christmas tree to do - doubt I'll get it done this year.
    Sometimes I'm indecisive, other times I just can't make my mind up :mysmilie_515:

  6. #26
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    I confess I do read Chalet School books - I've collected them since I was at school and have now got them all. Not keen on Biggles, but I have got all the Worrals' books -Biggles' female counterpart.

    Have decided to stitch a set of Jesse Tree ornaments this year to decorate my teaching room in the countdown to Christmas - found all the designs on the Internet. Might get the girls in the craft club, which I run at school, to help me.

  7. #27
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    Ooooo I haven't seen those ornaments. Noooo must not look, really mustn't, got a list a mile long already, and we are already into the second week in August.

    I found some glitter Aida in my bag of 14 count stash this morning. Gridded it out for square/round and rectangle/oval cards, with the 'help' of Inky, whose ears got pinker the more excited she became. Discovered a small stain on one of the rectangles, but I am hoping I will at least be able to make something from it, even if it is only a small card. At least I have made a start on my first cross stitched Chrissy card of the season. A patchwork wreath, done loads of times before, ditto the patchwork heart in the same booklet, which I will do next.

    Despite buying charts and magazines, I still end up using the American books bought way back in the 1980's. Dunno why, but they have a certain something about them. Haven't worked out what it is yet, and don't think I want to. :)

    Is it the parchement tree from Pauline Loweth (spl) Suban? I bought it a couple of years ago, still haven't got that round tuit going. Dunno where I will put it when I do get a round tuit, but will worry about that when I have to. Not even sure we will be having both trees up this year. Can I really trust those two fluffits this year?

    Roz
    Always look on the bright side, if you can't find it then polish up the dull side.

    https://rozneedlesandhooks.wordpress.com/ My Blog

  8. #28
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    Wonder if they still do a free lavender and lace christmas pattern on their website?
    Sometimes I'm indecisive, other times I just can't make my mind up :mysmilie_515:

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by suban View Post
    Wonder if they still do a free lavender and lace christmas pattern on their website?
    You've set me off on a free design hunt. No new L&L designs - most recent is 2005, but a good collection. Also some good free designs on the Lizzie Kate website which would be useful for Christmas.

  10. #30
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    Might have a go at some of the free charts for Christmas if I've time.
    Sometimes I'm indecisive, other times I just can't make my mind up :mysmilie_515:

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