M&R Technologies PCStitch 7
With PCStitch 7 designing your own embroidery and cross-stitching patterns is as easy as clicking a mouse! Save yourself time&energy by designing a cross-stitch pattern on the computer before creating it.
M&R Technologies PCStitch 7 Accessories
 The Duke Next Door (Heiress Brides)
Duke Most Wanted (Heiress Brides)
Desperately Seeking A Duke (Heiress Brides)
The Cross Stitcher's Bible
The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1)
BioTutor Excalibur
The Edge of Desire (Bastion Club Novel)
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 2)
Art Nouveau Cross Stitch: Decorative Designs from the Turn of the Century
Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Techniques
M&R Technologies PCStitch 7 Reviews
I gave this to my Aunt for Christmas, she is an avid cross-stitcher and a (sometimes) PC user, so I figured that this would be the perfect hybrid for her. For anyone on your christmas list that fits this criteria, I highly suggest this as present this year.
I would recommend this program, however. I will begin with a simple photo that won't take me forever and a day to start and finish. I have only printed out one photo to cross stitch, and I have no idea where that print-out is at this time. But the program worked as promised and someday when I am old and gray (oh, wait, that won't work - I am alread there).
I have been using this program a lot since I purchased it. I have been using it to crochet special afghans and absolutely love it. I love this software program.
And again. This CD is a waste of time and money. I still can't get past them to get to the real designs I want to make.
I thought it would be relatively easy once I got the "hang of it." I can't find a "back" or "erase" button like on Word, to delete or erase the most recent action, so I end up having to start over again. The directions are written for people who need a degree in computer engineering. I was so excited to use this because I'm so sick of going to craft stores and seeing nothing but ugly cross-stitch kits for flower bouquets, kitchen decor or farm animals.
Don't bother. And again. I have a decent knowledge of computers, Access, Excel, Word, etc.
This CD rom even comes with TUTORIALS.
I have no idea how up-to-date the thread collections are, however; the DMC section doesn't list the variegated threads plus the Mill Hill bead sections don't seem nearly large enough to encompass all their beads. A word of warning copying jpgs doesn't work very well, especially with anything over 40x40 square, as jpgs tend to blur pixels so you don't get a clear, sharp image.Problems: I have read their instructions and tried everything I can think of but I can't get the program to copy part of a design and then move it to another part of the canvas. There are also options to show the design in black and white, in color and in color with symbols. Also, if I have been working on designs for two-three hours, the program very occasionally turns itself off. You can zoom in to see sections of the design close up and you can remove the grid entirely. This is a real pain to correct as you can't simply replace the second one with the first or combine them. Included are DMC (six strand floss, rayon and metallic), Anchor, JP Coates, Kreinik varieties, Maderia classic and a number of Mill Hill beads. You select the color you want, add it to your palette and assign it a symbol (there are 200 available).
I only do cross-stitch patterns so I can't speak to how effective this software program is for embroidery or bargello work although it does have regular, half and back stitches, French knots plus a bunch of custom stitches (smyrna cross, trellis, eyelet, chessboard, stars, etc).You start with a basic template where you select a "canvas" by size (in inches or in stitches), specify the number of thread strands and choose a cloth color. Removing colors is very easy plus you have the option of replacing colors (eg turn all stitches done in "carnation lt" to "forest green md"). One more thing: you can choose a regular time (month/six months/year) for the software to contact M&R for updates. Something the manufacturer might want to think of adding is a feature that would correlate DMC colors with Anchor colors so if you are publishing your design you can list both sets of colors.The color palette offers you a choice of colors by number or by color range.
If you select "copy" the program picks up the section you choose and leaves a blank space behind. I have several times added the same color to the palette by mistake. Another nice feature is that you can switch to text mode using any TrueType font.The program gives you a large number of "cutesy" designs and borders in a special library so you can cut and paste them on your designs. I have made seven original designs I like very much and plan to make more. I do like it and it's a lot of fun to play with despite the fact that it is a bit clumsy to use ("undo" as a icon on the toolbar would be nice). I don't what other stitching programs are out there so I can't compare this one to them. Other handy features: spray (to color in a whole section); horizontal and vertical mirrors; center; and erase.
You can get around this by deleting the section and then pasting the original back on the canvas after which you paste more sections (one at a time) to the canvas, but this is time-consuming and clunky. The program starts with a standard palette to which you subtract or add colors and one of the best features of the program is the fact that it lists hundreds of floss colors by name and number. You can also import your own pictures and photographs directly to the library. This creates a blank, grid-type canvas where you apply your choice of stitches. The program really should tell you if the color you have selected is already in the palette. I assume this means you can download corrections or new features as they become available. On using the program again you do get a message saying there is a design that hasn't been saved so, theoretically, you can retrieve your work that way.If you work on a design and later decide to import a palette you have used in another design, you will get one of the more cryptic error messages I have ever seen: "You cannot load a new palette unless there are no stitches set." Why you can't add colors this way seems strange to me, it would certainly be a handy feature.
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