I have started Chatelaine’s Watergarden (will post photos later), which reminded me how much I love Chatelaine’s, and so I have decided to finish kitting up the other three Chatelaine patterns I have – Winter Watergarden, Sleeping Beauty Mandala (Anniversary) and Serengeti, which has meant that I am back looking at European Cross Stitch’s webpage.
This is very bad for me as it means I am tempted to buy another pattern or two, and kit it up. It would be a belated birthday present to myself. I am tossing up between 3 of them:
Japanese Zen Garden:
Seville Alcazar Garden:
And Hawaiian Garden Mandala:
Hawaii is beautiful, but it is expensive as it has so many beads, and metallics, but as it is available as a chart pack, it is cheaper than the online classes.
I haven’t bought much in the last 2 years – just a few HAED patterns, Ink Circles RYO and Cirque de Coeurs, and one kit.
On the other hand, I want a few Mirabilia patterns too:
Red:
Siren and the Shipwreck (Mermaid collector that I am)
Dimension Kits:
Fall Fairy
Woodland Enchantress
I bought Aurora which looks like she goes with them:
I love the colours in the sky in this one.
Anyway, I really can’t decide what to buy!!! Too many things I want! Any thoughts????
A flying needle's Blog 
rifestitch said,
October 30, 2013 at 4:15 pm
I am not sure I can help at all – all of these are beautiful! My favorite Hawaii was the one done on black – those volcanoes are AMAZING on black – but I know I will never do a big one on black. Do you normally get the kits at ECC? I will only get a mini mandala from them – I find the prices on the BIG kits too high, and by shopping sales at my favorite ONs and bead shops, I can kit a Chat much cheaper than an ECC kit, though theirs are gorgeous to receive 🙂 Fabric is always my one big expenditure. I love these Dimensions kits, but I’ve just never bought kits, always just charts & kit them up myself – that Fall Fairy has been a favorite of mine every time I see one done somewhere 🙂
See, I told you I wouldn’t be a bit of help – I like them all and feel your pain! Good luck trying to decide!
aflyingneedle said,
October 30, 2013 at 5:14 pm
I don’t buy the floss in general from ECC (some of the silks are ridiculously expensive and I don’t mind using the DMC conversions), but the beads and the RG threads are okay. Here in Australia there is a huge markup on RG- we pay $5-7 per card, even when the US$/AU$ exchange rate is almost parity. Don’t ask me why. Seems rather stupid. Kreiniks are the same. I have converted a lot of the silks to HDF colours where I could as well.
We don’t seem to get the full range of Delicas, and Swarovski crystals here either.
I have quite a bit of fabric, probably enough for 3-4 more Chatelaines, plus half a dozen Mirabilia’s or so. There was a half price special on linen here at one stage so I bought a metre or two. I also have a few online suppliers that I really like.
Unfortunately the kits are only available as kits 😦 Otherwise I would buy the pattern and floss myself.
I am not helping myself make a decision either 😦