The World In Stitches Spectral Mandala Cross Stitch Kit

At the beginning of May, I began cross stitching a colourful spectral mandala, and a couple of weeks ago I finally finished it! I'm really pleased with the end result after all that time and effort I put in to it, so I thought I'd give you guys a quick peek at the finished piece before it gets lost in my to-be-framed pile.

I bought the spectral mandala kit from an English company called The World In Stitches earlier in the year, along with three others, because I just couldn't resist the awesome colourful designs. Well, you know me and colour... I'm drawn in like a moth to a flame! Seriously, just look at all of those beautiful colours! So pretty.

The kit includes everything you need to make the mandala, including 16 count white aida, good quality, pre-sorted DMC threads, a needle, full-colour charts on good-quality paper, and a beginner's guide to cross stitching to help new cross stitchers get started. All that's needed is an embroidery hoop, scissors, and a pencil or highlighter to cross the chart off with, and you're good to go.

I began the project at the beginning of May, and it took me about three and a half months to complete, mostly by putting in an hour or two a day, with a few full afternoons thrown in for good measure. I assumed it was going to take a lot longer, so I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I made progress.

The design might look rather complicated, but it was actually really easy to sew as the design is broken up in to simple colour-blocked shapes in ten colours, and the chart is so easy to follow. All you do is concentrate on a small section at a time, and not the picture as a whole, and you'll be surprised how quickly it comes together.

I really enjoyed sewing this mandala, and actually found the repetition really therapeutic. I especially loved working with a whole rainbow of colourful threads- it's far more fun than working in neutrals!

My only bug bear was that the chart was printed on six sheets of A4 paper, so I had to stick pages together with double-sided tape to follow the chart accurately between pages, which was a pain in the backside. It would have been so much easier if the whole chart was printed on one piece of paper, even if that meant it had to be printed smaller, or a larger paper size had to be used. The pages are all numbered so it's easy to tell which part of the design is which, but it's so easy to make mistakes when the chart is split between pages, and I hated having to keep pausing to check I was in the right place every two seconds.

Thankfully, it was worth the extra effort. I really love the finished spectral mandala, and it's really going to brighten up the place when I eventually get around to framing it, and hanging it on the wall. 

Now I just need to get started on the Spectrum Mandala I purchased at the same time, which is the exact same design but with the colours in reverse. I'm working on some other projects at the moment, so I'll probably make a start on that one in the new year after I'm done with my Christmas kits.

Both the spectral mandala and spectrum mandala kits are priced at £17.49, and are available to buy on The World In Stitches' Etsy and Amazon shops. You can also buy the patterns separately for just £4.50 on Etsy here and here, or both kits together for £30.99 here.

 Have you crafted anything lately?

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