StitchyBox is a themed, bi-monthly subscription box for cross stitch and counted thread supplies.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: StitchyBox
The Cost: $36.50/box for the “Big Picture Box” (contains one cut of 14-16 count Aida and one cut of 28-32 count linen or evenweave) or $38.50/box for the “Detail-Oriented Box” (contains one cut of 32-36 count linen and one cut of 40 count linen)
This is a review of the “Big Picture Box.”
The Products: Over $40 worth of stitching goodies including two cuts of stitching fabric and a variety of threads and embellishments. (Note: patterns and instructions are typically not included. However, the StitchyBox blog has some project ideas. And you can choose one larger piece of fabric instead of the two smaller ones when you sign up.)
Note: You can buy extras of supplies you liked from this box from the StitchyBox shop (while they last). I’ve taken most of the values listed below from the StitchyBox shop although if there’s no link, it means the product sold out between when I looked up the price and when I wrote this review.
Ships to: US for free, $6 international.
Check out the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great craft and DIY subscriptions!
This month’s StitchyBox came with a card detailing the theme for the box. This box’s theme is “Camping at Midnight.” The box also came with a sticker and a note that some of the threads for the box did not arrive in time. I appreciate the heads-up and I waited to write this review until I had everything in hand. (It took a little longer than 5-7 days to arrive, though.)
Note: I think StitchyBox is calling this the May box, although I received it in June. Their next shipment is in July.
Here’s a first look at everything from the initial shipment.
“Days Gone By” 14 Count Aida by Silkweavers (fat 16th) – Value $4.75
I got my start in cross stitch using Aida fabric and I will always be a fan. I like the pattern here although it says “fall” to me a little more than it says “summer.”
Burlap Bag – Value $1 (?)
I couldn’t find this in the StitchyBox shop but their blog does have a project idea for this one.
Winter Solstice 28 Count Opal Lugana by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie (fat 16th) – Value $7.50
I think this is really pretty and I can’t decide whether I want to stitch something where the blue background serves as a starry sky or whether I want to use the blue background as water. Someday soon, I’m sure the right pattern will come to me.
Sparkly Burlap Fabric (12 by 15) – Value $1
I never would have thought to make burlap sparkly. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with this one yet (haven’t had a lot of time to think about it because I’m preparing for an upcoming move) but I think it’ll involve beads and metallic thread (I have huge stashes of both). You can also get larger cuts of StitchyBox fabrics from their shop.
Twine Cone (natural) – Value $1.50
I am thinking about using this with the sparkly burlap to make more little bags like the ones from the StitchyBox blog.
Red Gate Stitchery Owl Thread Keep – Value $18
Lately I find that I really like owl designs so this was cute. It’s made from bamboo and included a chart for stitching. I didn’t have the exact colors from the chart in my stash but I found some that were pretty close. Here’s how it turned out:
Red Gate Stitchery has a lot of similar items (as well as embroidery blanks for earrings, keychains, bracelets, etc.) in their Etsy shop.
DMC Color Variations Stranded Cotton (shade 4124) – Value $1.39
Pretty much every stitcher has used DMC cotton at some point. This one is variegated in shades of orange instead of being a solid color.
Classic Colorworks Stranded Cotton (in “toasted marshmallow”) – Value $2.20
This is a standard 6-stranded cotton and is pretty simple to work with.
As promised, a couple of weeks after the initial shipment, I received this envelope from StitchyBox in the mail.
Handspun Silk Thread from Dragonflylotus Designs (10 yards, in “foxy”) – Value $6
This is a little different to work with than what I’m used to. However, that’s the point of this box – to experience different types of threads, fabrics, etc. It has a bit of a learning curve but the results are pretty.
Kreinik Silk Mori in Flame (2.75 m) – Value $1.39
Kreinik Silk Mori in Light Lemon (2.75 m) – Value $1.39
These are 6-stranded silk flosses in really bright, vibrant colors.
Here is what I did with some of the threads from this box so you can see what they look like in use:
From left to right: “Foxy” handspun silk, Kreinik Silk Mori in “flame,” DMC color variations stranded cotton, Kreinik Silk Mori in “light lemon,” Classic Colorworks stranded cotton. I used 2 threads for all of them except the first, which I did not separate (it didn’t seem designed for that).
I realized after the fact that I did this precisely in the middle of one of the fabrics from this box so I am probably going to add more hearts above and below to make better use of the fabric and create something frame-able. (Sorry it’s wrinkled, I didn’t have a spare hoop.)
Verdict: I calculated a value of about $46 for this month’s StitchyBox. That’s about $10 over the cost of the box and I learned about some new products that I am definitely going to have to look into further. I just love the appearance of the Kreinik Silk Mori and I know I’m going to spend a bunch of money at the Red Gate Stitchery Etsy shop. All the oranges and yellows remind me a bit more of autumn than summer, but I think they go together quite well and anyway, stitching projects started in summer are likely to be finished later in the year. (In general, StitchyBox seems to run a little ahead of the seasons.) I enjoyed this box quite a bit and I appreciated the communication regarding the delay in shipping the final three items.
What do you think of the June 2015 StitchyBox?
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