I have not stitched this pattern. Based on the description, I would say the manufacturer could have been a little more generous with the fabric. If you start in the exact center of the fabric you will end up with an extra two inches on each side. That will give you a little wiggle room to have it framed.

This is my opinion. I am not an employee of this company.

Hope everything works out okay.

The patterns are not printed to scale generally. I agree with Nancy....start in the centre. It will be marked on your pattern.

Thank you both so much! I'm going to start it tomorrow. It is for my husband for his birthday so I need to get it right!

Hi! I'm currently working on the Army Seal for my DH. It's been a time consuming project, but I'm making progress. I'm about half way done. I bought the pattern only from ECS. I already had some 14 count aida fabric, cutting it approximately 13" X 16" to have 3" on all sides for framing when I'm finished stitching it. I already had all of the floss in my stash so I didn't buy any more.

I don't know if the pattern matches up with the fabric. Probably not.

I started in the center of the fabric, moving to the sides, then up and down. The list of needed floss does not show white floss and the pattern shows a blank square. I prefer to use white floss in those areas because I have it, and it makes the project look more "finished".

Speaking of floss, I used DMC #310 (black) next to DMC 939 (Dark Navy Blue). It's hard to tell them apart. I'm keeping my threaded needles in the bobbins when I'm not using them. Otherwise, I wouldn't know if I was using black or dark navy blue.

Also, you'll find there's a lot of single stitches in a variety of colors. I'm not thrilled with these stitches because there's nothing to anchor them. There's a special stitch called a pinhead stitch you can use for these single stitches. scarletquince.com has a tutorial on making these stitches. I haven't tried it yet, maybe on my next project.

If you have more questions, just ask. We are here to help and learn from each other.

I'm not an employee of ECS, just a stitcher who saw your post.

Diana

Thank you! I can tell this was s going to be quite an endeavor. I will ask questions as I move forward with this!

This is precisely why this message board exists and why we are all here. It makes this hobby much more enjoyable when you have a whole wealth of experience at your fingertips to answer your questions and lend support. Hope your project works out well and I am sure your husband will greatly appreciate it.