Review on 🧵 Maydear Stitch Cotton Needlework 12×18 (Inch) White: Premium Quality for Effortless DIY Projects by Kelly Caballes

After a long break, I return to cross-stitch. I'm not interested in off-the-shelf commercial templates. I'm more interested in embroidering my own designs or some of the subversive/snarky designs you can find on Etsy or in books here on Revain. Since I haven't had stitches since I was 11 and my eyes are no longer 11 year old eyes, I've decided to start with count 11 of Hades. If you are new to cross stitch, this means 11 squares per inch. These appear to be the largest squares you can easily get without going to a plastic canvas. I figured that probably means it's good for beginners. And I was right. I could embroider on this Aida fabric without reading glasses. I'm including a closeup photo of my effort so you can see the fabric and how the 2 strands of DMC thread look on it. This project is not finished yet because I gave it up after realizing I had made a serious mistake in the math that would have taken longer to fix than starting over. I have to use reading glasses with at least 3.0x magnification to see the holes. The 14 count Aida I tried was DMC. Aside from the difference in the size of the squares, I couldn't find any difference in quality between the two manufacturers. So in my opinion this is a good quality Aida. Now some people will tell you they never make anything other than a German made Zweigart. This is normal for her. I'm not at that level and I don't think I can tell how much better he claims to be. For the rest of us, it seems like an affordable and quality alternative to big brands. The squares appear to be even. I don't see any signs of wear or flaws in the fabric. I didn't see any signs of bias or anything else that would affect the embroidery project. After finishing my current project (sea snail) I will start another one with black Aida in this pack. I think of space invaders. Is there anything better for Generation X than pixel art from the early 80's?