For those of you who aren't that familiar with them, they are 999 stitches in the biggest dimension and have a lot more detail than the regular charts. This results in charts that easily have 700000 stitches or more, so they are really huge. I think the biggest design there is is 999x999 stitches!
When they first came out I was not sure if such a size was really "necessary" for me, I mean the designs are so huge and I am not such a fast stitcher so they would take decades instead of years to finish. And after all, many Haed charts already have a lot of detail in them.
Then someone requested a QS to be supersized - QS Ships and Shells by Josephine Wall. I was totally amazed by the detail this gained (ok it went from 175 stitches wide to 999 stitches wide). So that's how I got my first supersize. And then there was no turning back. I already requested three supersizes myself and bought two more and have my eye on a couple of others. I guess I will join the SAL on the Supersize Haed group on facebook which will start in January 2016 with one of those huge designs, lol.
And after seeing a lot of WIPs of supersizes I also think that there are a lot of charts where it makes sense to get things supersized. For example the designs by Josephine Wall, they are really rich in detail and color. I sometimes feel like Haed increased their designs sizes over the years. A lot of the old J Wall designs are 450x300 stitches or so, whereas the "newer" charts are easily over 500 stitches in the "smaller" dimension and over 700 in the "bigger" dimension. So when I come across one of the "older" charts by J Wall I often think that those designs would gain a lot of detail when supersizing them. But for example with Godess between Realms I decided not to go for the supersize version because the regular was already 525x704 and the mock up looked really good (another point about those old charts: they are often missing a mock up. I know you can request a mock up, but it makes me nervous when there is none).
I'm quite happy that there is now an option for requesting any size! You know, I would really love to stitch a few charts that are to small for my liking, but for me it's absolutely fine if the biggest dimension is 700 or 800 stitches (I think in most cases you can get a lot of detail with that). Another point is, that my millennium frame is only 36". I prefer working on 28ct (still a bit nervous about 32 ct, but I will try in January) and I really can't fit a design that is 999 stitches wide on that count. I once calculated that I can easily fit about 800 or 850 stitches on 28ct, so this is more to my liking.
I will do a supersize in January which is 999 stitches wide and I will go for 32ct for that one. This size just fits, I would feel better with a bit more spare fabric but I am even more afraid of 35ct, lol.
And since I already talked about my new start for 2016, here is what I will do:
Ride of the Yokai by Ruth Thompson!
I instantly fell in love with this one and requested a supersize for it. Someone else requested a max color version, but I don't know if I will pick that. 202 colors really is a lot and this means a huge increase in confetti. But then again it will add more depth to the picture. I am still torn and will try decide by the end of the year. I guess I will get myself a kit for christmas (they look so beautiful!). I would love to try the silk gauze Haed is offering, but it is really expensive. A piece of 40x36" is listed for $121, whereas 32ct Murano is about $27 per yard (the murano is 55" wide). So no silk gauze for me, this is just to much.
And now about the new start part of this post. I made a start on a supersize! It doesn't feel like a real supersize because I decided to get a Storykeep supersized (if someone does it with a QS, I might pick a SK). I picked a SK by Josephine Wall called "Iris Keeper" and it's a section the "Iris Keeper of the Rainbow" design. The original size was 75x248 stitches (about 20000 stitches in total) and my supersize is now 302x999 (total of 301698 stitches), so it really grew in size. But for a supersize it's still really small (just 65page in large format, most of my regulars have 64, so it's not that bad).
Here is a picture of the finished design and you can find it here:
I am already thinking about requesting another supersized Storykeep. There is that wonderful SK section from the wine shelf by Aimee Stewart:
I truly love it, it's a perfect section of the shelf, but the mock up looks a bit blurry. It's now 112x329 stitches so supersizing this should roughly triple the dimensions (to about 340x999 stitches). So this would also be a supersize still manageable in size, lol. I'm seriously thinking about it because I happen to have a really nice piece of fabric in my stash :D
Anyway, before I am to tempted to by more supersizes and don't get any stitching done at all, I will return to watching some flosstube videos (they are addicting) and stitch a bit on my UFO for next week.
Happy stitching to all of you and I hope you enjoy a great weekend! =)
