Printed Patterns on Aida?

[cirestan]

Printed patterns on the fabric itself. I don't know the exact terminology for this because I've always just done counted cross-stitch.

Anyways, I was in New Orleans this weekend, and saw a stitching shop in the French Quarter, so I thought I'd go in just to see what was there and see if there were any patterns caught my eye. The shop pretty much carried knitting supplies, and cross stitch patterns that were printed directly on the fabric.

Squinting at the hand-written price tags these patterns were STARTING at about $45!!!
Yeah, like a 4" x 6" pattern on 14 count. $45!!! MINIMUM!!! WTH???

Looking at some of the more complex patterns, say 8" x 10" on 18 count. $125-$185???
Seriously? These patterns were just screen printed, or even laser printed on the Aida?

Am I missing something here?

[Firestarterr]

Holy moly! I can't see why they would be that much. Maybe they hand painted them on.

[Eliste]

Am I missing something here?

Greed?

Did it come with the colours as well? I've bought plenty of kits where they were that price or higher, never printed on but did include the instructions and all the colours for it.

[cirestan]

No. It looked like it was just the piece of Aida with the print on it.

There is a Harrah's Casino right next to the French Quarter, and it did seem like some of those over-inflated stores designed to get money specifically from winning gamblers have spread out into the Quarter... but still, this was just a "stitch shop". I can't picture a "high-roller" going, "Woo hoo! I just cleared $500 at the Blackjack table, I'm going to go get me some cross stitch patterns!"

[funkymonkey]

I have actually been in that shop in New Orleans! Pretty yarn. And yes, I was blown away by the prices on the cross stitch canvases. I agree, they didn't appear to have a color chart or anything to go along with it; just a full color image printed on the canvas. I guess you'd have to take your best guess at what color floss to use, or where the actual stitches would go; as I recall they weren't very pixelated, so it wasn't even a "pattern" so much as just a printed image.

I do have a friend though who said she didn't understand how I could do counted cross stitch, she had only ever done it with the pattern printed on the fabric. So I suppose it is a thing, but I'm not into it.

Update: apparently it's called Stamped Cross Stitch

[cirestan]

Good to know.

My mother actually has an "Alphabet of Flowers" cross stitch that her mother (my grandmother) did.
As far as my mom knows my grandmother did it free hand, no pattern, and it was done on a pillow case that was torn on the other side and was destined to be put in the rag drawer.
You can see where the stitches are not quite uniform, but it really is a substantial piece of work.

[Kareesh]

I've done stamped cross stitch a bit. It's suppose to be easier as you don't have to count out where the colors are, but I found it a bit confusing. Give me counted cross stitch any day! lol

And I have never seen stamped cross stitch that expensive. It's usually the same price as counted. They carry stamped at my local craft stores. Perhaps they were handmade by someone at the shop...? Or somewhere else...? That's my only guess as to why they are so expensive there.

[Mishatu]

I tried doing a stamped cross-stitch once. It did come with a pattern, although I found it quite aggravating to have the image already directly in front of me instead of watching it grow from my work. Also, trying to coordinate the pattern with the image is an annoying bit of work.

[RMDC]

There are several shops here in the northern Virginia area that carry hand-painted Aida for prices that exorbitant (or more so). On the one hand, it makes me think I ought to try making money that way - on the other hand, they never seem to sell for some unfathomable reason.

[concraftidor]

I have also seen these really expensive canvases at my local shop here in NYC (Annie & Co on the upper East Side if you're interested - it's a beautiful shop) and I know that in that case they are hand-painted, limited edition batches. It's like buying a limited edition print or a painting, with the difference that you then finish it yourself. I've considered buying some of the more intricate ones and just framing them unfinished because the workmanship is so incredible.