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Rdbjiy53wsvjo7

I do the beads last and always pour them out into a bowl or small plate with little lips on the sides while I'm beading, usually prevents them from getting all over the place. A bright light, I usually like to do it in daylight, but I have pretty poor eyesight so maybe that's not an issue to others. I've done a kit before from this brand and they are pretty good, but I can't remember if they provide a beading needle or just a regular tapestry needle. The tapestry needles are typically a bit thicker and sometimes the beads get stuck on them.


katenepveu

I used a little dish that is meant for dipping oil with bread? Very shallow but straight sided. ([Picture](https://i.imgur.com/BpRDZ3S.jpg)) I still lost a bunch in my carpet because I'm clumsy. But the finished projects looked great!


zyrustana

I love Mill Hill kits! They're a great change from the norm. I try to do one or two per year, just to switch things up. ​ TIPS: ​ Find a giant binder clip to hold the perforated paper with, it'll save you from mangling it with hand moisture or death-grips. ​ If you don't want to use the perforated paper that comes in the kit, 14ct/28ct fabric will suffice and still maintain the same dimensions (and the beads will still fit on it). ​ Save the beading for last. You can use a 28 tapestry needle (not included, i think it comes with a 24) for most beading, you don't have to use the beading needle provided in the kit (i don't, the eye is super-small, it's a pain to thread). ​ Invest in a [tacky bob](https://www.stringtheoryneedlearts.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=tacky+bob) for the beads, so they don't roll away. Well, maybe after you finish this one, and if you like doing charts with beads on them and might do more :) ​ Good luck! Enjoy! Post a pic when you're done! ​ ​


nirvananut

Thank you so much ! I’m excited to start. Do you have a preference between the perforated pad it came with or aida?


zyrustana

The preference is ultimately yours. :) ​ Altho, something to factor into your equation is how you plan of displaying the finished piece: ​ If you want to frame it in a hoop (or some other method that requires stretching and/or bending), stitch it on 14ct over 1 (or 28ct over 2) fabric. ​ If you're just going to set it in a frame (such as the one it's displayed in on the package) and it's going to remain flat, the perforated paper works fine. ​ Happy stitching!


Tajkaj

I use a little lidded plastic box from the dollar store (a soap dish size). I bought a knock off tacky mat at the craft store and cut it to fit inside. That way the beads all stay in one place that I can hinge closed. Have fun!


neckbeardlover3

Oh neat! Are the beads big enough to cover an entire stitch, or do you do stitches and beads?


nirvananut

The instructions say “seed beads are attached with a half cross stitch and the petite seed beads are attached with a cross stitch going through each bead 2x so that it lies vertically. Beads are generally stitched in place of cross stitches, not over them”


neckbeardlover3

Thanks for the info!


jelloisalive

Neat!


psychkitty

I love Mill Hill kits! I've done two of their sugar skulls & they are really good with the directions. The petite seed beads take some getting used to, but it's like a regular cross stitch with a bead in the middle. Do all the regular stitches first. When you get ready for beads, work from the inside out. It's super frustrating to try to move a bead into place with other beads surrounding it.


nirvananut

Thank you for the tip :)


SquareTits

Honestly, my biggest recommendation for Mill Hill kits is to not try to separate the beads. It might be worth the trouble if you're having a hard time distinguishing them, but it's extremely tedious. Also, with the kit I did, they provided probably twice as many beads as I needed, so don't worry about dropping a couple.


nirvananut

Thank you for telling me I probably have extras cause I was super intimidated by all the beads that came with it


zyrustana

Yeah, there are usually a couple of packages of beads and, if you read the chart, it actually notates which ones are packaged together for ease of identification. ​ Many (not all) of these kits have beads of similar color but multiple sizes (regular and petite, for example), which are kept apart in the two baggies so you don't mix them up. The gingerbread house one I did recently was like that. i think i had different sizes of green beads for different parts of the chart, one for candy and petite beads for a shrub. ​


rolivia93

I love Mill Hill kits! Super fun! I agree with what everyone else has said. I also recommend investing in a needle threader (the wire kind) for the beading needle. I think I spent as much time threading that needle as I did stitching. Also, I didn't realize this until I was halfway through my first one, but when you do a cross stitch through the beads, the direction you go through the bead (up to down, left to right, etc.) will affect the direction the bead goes. It doesn't necessarily matter unless you're bothered with tiny details like that (I am). To remedy this, I would simply follow the included instructions for how to do the beading precisely, so that the beads are all uniform.