Friday, October 29, 2010

A somewhat disappointing Stash Enhancement eXperience

What? Buying stash twice within a week? Who would have guessed? Well it's true! I decided to buy what appears to be a new design from Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks. It's a really cute cake design called "Sweety". This is what it looks like:
It cost $13.93 for the pattern alone, plus shipping on top. Oh, and this was on special too! From what I've seen it does appear that AAN designs are on the pricey side, perhaps because she is a European designer?? However, I wasn't really expecting the design to come in a plastic bag containing 2 A4 sheets of paper that look like something I could have printed off using my Canon Pixma printer. Even the picture of the finished design is just a coloured representation, not a photo. Granted, the design is very clear and easy to follow and it does contain everything I need to complete the design, but I just feel that for nearly $14 I should at least have some cardboard and something that resembles a professional leaflet. I realise some designers choose to print their designs in this way to save costs, but those costs really should be at least partly passed down to the customer. When buying designs, in the back of my mind is the resale value as I rarely stitch a design more than once. I'd have a hard time convincing some people that this is indeed the original if I choose to sell it later. I get that designers spend hours charting designs for us to stitch, and in turn I get hours of pleasure stitching them. Really, I do. I just can't help feeling that it should have been more, or meatier or something. Having said all that, would I buy an AAN design again? Probably yes, especially as I have about a dozen on my wish list! Just in future I'd perhaps be selective about what I buy, knowing what I'll get for my money.
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2 comments:

Pauline said...

I understand completely! I've got a chart with beads that came from 123 stitch so I *know* its what was sold to Joanne, but it looks cheaply printed, with black inky streaks on it. At least it has a front cover sheet with a printed picture of it. Its an amercian designer.

I was going to give it away, but I don't want people thinking I'm giving them a photocopy, cos that's exactly what it looks like.

I too want a chart that looks professionally produced. Not some cheapo print at home job, priced at professionally printed prices.

claudia_az said...

this is a beauty and really want this pattern, but it is now 16.30 and dont know if i want to pay that much for a look-a-like photo copy...how did it turn out? how big is the finished piece?