I hate making mistakes! Especially in my charts, because usually that means someone has to frog stitches. And I know how much I loathe ripping out!
In my distant past, I studied journalism in college and was editor of the college paper. Part of my job was to correct mistakes in the stories submitted by the reporters. The faculty advisor was a brutally ruthless instructor named Mr. Crum (still burned into my memory after all these years!) I could tell tales of woe about Mr. Crum, but suffice it to say that he did not tolerate mistakes of any kind, and was fond of grading papers with “F to the -17th”, because a mere “F” was not humiliating enough! So I learned to avoid mistakes if I could.
When I’m stitching a model, I write the instructions as I stitch. I calculate how much thread is needed for a particular stitch, record how many strands I used, the colors and thread types, and sometimes tips that make a particular section easier. In my earlier days I stitched the whole model, then tried to remember what I had done when it came time to write the instructions. I think it’s a better process for me now to write the instructions as I go, and less subject to error.
But mistakes still creep in, despite my best efforts to avoid them. And I rely on stitchers to contact me when an error is discovered, so I can correct it. Because we print on demand, we don’t have stacks of books sitting around, and can correct a mistake for the next printing, almost always right away.
That still leaves some books out there with mistakes. So for those, I have an “Ooops” page on the website. It’s under the “About” tab. Some of the corrections are several pages, especially if I’ve had to correct a large diagram. Others aren’t that big. But they are there, because my primary goal as a designer (especially with my journalism/editor background) is to ensure that you have a frustration-free experience when stitching one of DebBee’s Designs.
If you discover a mistake while stitching one of my designs, please let me know! I want to fix it, and please don’t assume someone else has already pointed it out. We have a great community of stitchers, generous and sharing, and I appreciate your efforts in making my products better.
1 thought on “Pardon My Oops!”
I agree 100% with the meditative narute of needlework. I started counted cross stitch while recuperating from back surgery as a means of focusing my mind on something other than the pain I was experiencing, and as a way of filling the hours of sitting in a chair in one spot staring at the same inane tv shows hour after hour.Needlework is often associated with women as a woman’s craft, but I’ve met men online and in person who also enjoy this art form. I wish more men would try it, but a stigma exists in our society even today about which things are traditionally male or female activities. For me, needlework has been a godsend it helps with relief from my chronic pain, and gives me a sense of pride in creating something with my own hands.