StitchyBox Craft Subscription Review – February 2018

StitchyBox is a themed, bi-monthly subscription box for cross stitch and counted thread supplies.

Beads, embellishments, and threads come in their own little envelopes.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is of the Big Picture, $36.99 every other month, box. 

About StitchyBox

The Subscription Box: StitchyBox

The Cost: $36.99 + free US shipping

Note: StitchyBox has introduced some add-ons to the bimonthly subscription:

• “Bling It Up” (beads and crystals for $7.50 bimonthly add on)
• “Stitch It Up” (small pattern charts for $6.50 bimonthly add on)
• "Buttoned Up" (a variety of buttons for $5.00 bimonthly add on)
• "Thread It Up" ($17.50 worth of threads for $15.00 bimonthly add on)
• You can also subscribe to “Just the Threads” to get a selection of threads and fibers each month (this is $22.99 for a one-time purchase or $21.84 for a bimonthly subscription; this is not an add-on but a separate subscription).

The Products: Over $40 worth of stitching goodies including two cuts of stitching fabric and a variety of threads and embellishments. (Note: patterns and instructions are typically not included. However, the StitchyBox blog has some project ideas. And you can choose one larger piece of fabric instead of the two smaller ones when you sign up.)

Good to know: You can buy extras of supplies you liked from this box from the StitchyBox shop (while they last). I’ve taken most of the values listed below from the StitchyBox shop when I could.

Ships to: U.S. for free, International for $6

StitchyBox February 2018 “Flower Child” Review

StitchyBox is bi-monthly and sends out your package usually in the second month of the two months each subscription period covers (I got this one in early March 2018):

This month’s StitchyBox came with a card detailing the theme for the box. This box’s theme is “Flower Child” and the colors definitely take you back a few decades, while also being great for spring.

Butterfly Charm

You’ll usually get a few beads or charms with this subscription. This one seems particularly handy for stitching because it’s largely flat so you can put it on something you’re going to frame or on a card or a similar project.

Faceted Glass Teardrop

I like this a lot. I don’t think I’ve seen another bead just like this, and that’s saying something, considering the size of my beading stash. This is a flattened teardrop, but it’s also faceted. Anyway, it’s pretty cool (well, I get excited by these sorts of things, anyway) and also generally flat so it’s another one that’s good for various stitching projects.

Malaysia Jade Round

This has a little more dimension than the other embellishments. I think it would be really fun in the middle of a flower motif. (Malaysia “jade” is translucent quartz that has been dyed, so use this in a piece that won’t ever get wet.)

Teal and Yellow Woven Ribbon (1 foot)

Lately, StitchyBox has been sending out a lot of ribbons like this. They are nice for borders of small items (cards, bookmarks, etc.). I like the bright colors and geometric patterns here.

Picture This Plus 16 Count Aida in “Moonglow” (fat 16th)

StitchyBox has various fabric options but I got the one that gives you two smaller pieces of fabric. I am not a fabric snob and honestly prefer Aida because it’s easier for me to see (seriously, I have terrible vision and have to stitch under a lighted magnifier). This is a warm color that would work for spring, summer, or fall. I like getting fabric with interesting colors and dye jobs from smaller manufacturers instead of the same brands you can buy in any craft store.

Hand-Dyed 28 Count Jobelan Fabric in Moss Green (fat 16th)

This is another color that really appeals to me. I want to stitch some kind of floral pattern on here with lots of bright pinks and oranges and such. I have recently discovered that there are a lot of smaller cross stitch patterns available on Etsy so that seems like a good place to start looking. (Smaller in size so I can actually manage to finish a project.)

Fuchsia Wool Felt from Benzie Designs

I am not sure what size this is but this color is awesome. At some point in the past year, I decided hot pink and fuchsia were like my favorite colors. I think this would be nice as backing for projects (ornaments or bookmarks or something of that nature) using the fibers from this box. Because contrary to the instructions in many cross stitch kits, the back of my stitching is NEVER as neat as the front.

Dinky Dyes Silk Floss in “Natural”

This is pretty plain but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is nice to have some neutral colors to go along with all the fun variegated flosses that come in this subscription. You’ll see Dinky Dyes a lot in StitchyBox. I am not always a fan of silk, but this one is pretty easy to work with.

Gentle Arts Sampler Threads Limited Edition Cotton in “Stems”

This is actually a deep green, my camera just didn’t do it justice. It is a good color to coordinate with the two variegated flosses below and would still show up on the moss green fabric pictured up above, as well.

Thread Gatherer Silk Floss in “Flower Child”

I absolutely love these colors. Variegated floss is so fun (and you will get a lot of it in StitchyBox). This one goes through the rainbow from a bright pink to a yellow-green and back again. This was easy to stitch with although not that easy to separate into strands.

Threadworx Cotton Floss in “Wild Poppies”

I don’t remember seeing this brand before (you do get a lot of repeat brands of floss in StitchyBox but the colors are usually exclusives), so that is fun. This one was easy to work with (no tangles, etc.) and the colors were just so bright and sunny on a cold, rainy weekend for me, so I was happy.

Planet Earth Silk Ribbon

I haven’t decided how to use this yet, but I think it would work very well made into hangers for flower ornaments using some of the fabrics and flosses from this shipment. One of the things I like about StitchyBox is that it isn’t just about following a pattern from a chart, but it’s about breaking the cross stitch kit mold and using unusual threads and embellishments to enhance your stitching. When I get a fiber or other supply I’m not sure how to use, I do a Google image search to get some ideas, and I tend to find a lot of projects I’d love to try.

Here are sample squares of the Dinky Dyes floss, the Thread Gatherer Silk (I promise this one has a lot of pink, it just didn’t in the small piece I cut for stitching this square…), the Threadworx Floss, and the Gentle Arts Sampler Threads cotton.

Verdict: The StitchyBox shop did not yet have these items available; they seem to be transitioning from merely a reorder-type shop to having some exclusive items and thread collections and charts. Since the cuts of fabric aren’t available in those sizes elsewhere, and many of the threads are exclusive, and the embellishments (ribbon, beads, etc.) are unbranded, it wasn’t possible to calculate a value. I counted 12 items, for a price of a little over $3 per item. While that is a little high for a single bead, it is entirely reasonable for an exclusive color of silk floss and it is low for a fat 16th of hand-dyed fabric, so I think everything works out in the end. I really enjoyed the colors and items this month and actually had a lot more ideas than usual for how to use them.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Sign up by March 31st to get the May/June Summer-themed shipment. And watch the StitchyBox Shop for when inventory ends, as some of the exclusive products may become available for sale.

Value breakdown: At $36.50 for this box, you are paying about $3.04 per item.

Check out all of our StitchyBox reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great craft and DIY subscriptions!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of the February 2018 StitchyBox? Would you like to see reviews of some of the new add-ons for the subscription?