Help, or "FAQ" (Frequently Asked Questions)


1.  What will I find on this website?

Online Shop:
2.  How do I order?
3.  How do I search for something in the Online Shop?
4.  How do I check/change my order?
5.  Can I pay using a credit or debit card?
6.  I live in the UK can I send a cheque?
7.  Can I place an order and arrange for it to be sent to another address?
8.  What does the postage cost?
9.  How quickly will I receive my order?
10. What guarantee do you offer?
11. How do I get a copy of the printed colour catalogue?

Non-UK customers:
12. Do you deliver outside the UK - to the USA, Canada, Australia or Europe, for example?
13. Can I pay in another currency, other than British pounds?
14. I live in the USA/Canada. How do I convert pounds to dollars?
15. Where can I buy your kits if I don't live in the UK?

About kits:
16. What is in a kit?
17. Why do the kits have colour charts?
18. I am colour-blind, so I can't work from colour-block charts. What can I do?
19. Can I buy just the chart?
20. Will I get good instruction sheets?
21. Some carpets have fringes. How is this done?
22. What is included in a wallhanging kit?
23. Does a cushion kit contain all I need to make a cushion?
24. What size staircase will a staircarpet fit?
25. What sort of fabric are the kits stitched on?
26. Are the kits stitched in silks, cotton threads (floss) or wool?
27. I have done cross stitch before, but not needlepoint - is it easy?
28. Can your designs be done in cross stitch?
29. The fabric count seems fine - will working on it harm my eyesight?
30. How will I know the sizes of the finished items?
31. Will there be any new designs in the future?

Other questions:
32. Why do the designs all have names, not numbers?
33. What if I get stuck, or make a mistake?
34. Can I send you pictures of the stitching I have done?
35. How do I know if the colours of the designs on my screen are accurate?


1.  What will I find on this website?

This website is for people who love stitching and/or dollshouse things. We supply all the designs you can see in the ONLINE SHOP as kits, with some also available as charts. There are well over a hundred dollshouse needlepoint designs in our range, including: bellpull kits, bolster cushion kits, carpet kits, Christmas stocking kits, Christmas tree mat kits, cushion kits, dining chair kits, firescreen kits, footstool kits, handbag kits, needlework stand kits, rectangular stool kits, sampler kits, staircarpet kits, teacosy kits, tray cloth kits and wallhanging kits. Several of the designs have a range of types of kit featuring the design, for example there may be a carpet, staircarpet, cushion, dining chair, and rectangular stool all using the same design - so it is easy to build up a collection of items with co-ordinating patterns on them! There is a special page, showing each of these groups of co-ordinating designs, in the Online Shop. The designs cover many eras and styles - there is sure to be something to suit everyone. We also stock some accessories (such as canvas or silk gauze pieces just the right size for one project, varnish for wooden chairs and so on - for these see the Canvas, Gauze and Sundries page).

Prices for the kits start at just £4.75. They can be purchased direct from us, in our ONLINE SHOP, or ordered from our printed mail order catalogue.

REMEMBER - New things are added from time to time...check our "What's New?" page to keep up to date.

Want to be sure you don't miss out on new designs or special offers? Join our Newsletter list by clicking HERE.

2.  How do I order?

Simply choose from the dollshouse needlepoint kits, charts and other items in the ONLINE SHOP. Select an item you would like to buy and click the 'ADD TO BASKET' button alongside the item. Then, on the next page, you either CONFIRM (which confirms you want that item in your shopping basket, although you may still remove it again, by going to the VIEW BASKET page and removing it) and then carry on shopping, or CHECKOUT NOW (which is when you have found all you want to buy and want to go to the checkout, to give us your details and send us the order).

When you click on CHECKOUT NOW, you will first see a list of the items you have chosen, with a total (please note that when you buy from this site, post and packing is FREE, worldwide, on orders of £40 and over. For orders of £39.99 and under, there is a flat rate of £1.75 within the UK, or £3.50 overseas). You will then need to fill in the cardholder's name and address details (if this address is not the one you would like the parcel sent to, you have the option of choosing a different delivery address at this point). We MUST have a valid email address as well, so that we can inform you when the parcel has been shipped, in line with Distance Selling Regulations. Then click 'NEXT'.

On the next page, you will be asked three questions to help us give you better service - answering these is optional, but very helpful! An explanation about our secure page on the Sagepay server follows - when you have read this, click NEXT. You can be sure that your card details will be sent safely (look for the yellow padlock on the bottom right hand corner of your screen), as the special payment page at Sagepay handles them very securely and even WE don't get to see them (we just get your contact information and details of what you have ordered).

On the secure server page you will need to fill in your card number, the type of card (VISA credit, VISA debit, Mastercard, Maestro - or Paypal), the cardholder's name as it appears on the card, and the valid from and expiry dates. At the foot of the credit card details page, click the 'PROCEED' button, to finally send the order to us.

Depending on the card you are using, you may be taken to a page where you can verify that it is really you that is using your card - this is an extra level of security, for your protection.

You will then be taken to an 'Order confirmation' page, which you are advised to print out and keep for your records.

Everything shown on the website is in stock, so despatch is usually within 2 working days. No money is taken from your card until we are about to send your order.

3.  How do I search for something in the Online Shop?

Click the green 'SEARCH' button at the top of any of the Online Shop pages. Enter a couple of words relating to the thing you're looking for, and click the grey 'SEARCH' button to the right of it to see a list of matching results.

The search engine will only look through the words actually appearing in this catalogue, so for instance if you searched for the word 'Morris', you would find the references to William Morris designs, but the word 'prawn' does not occur at all, so you will find nothing.

Once you have done the search you can browse the products as usual without having to put them in your shopping basket.

Tip - try to avoid using lots of words and/or very common words like 'the', because these will slow the search.

4.  How do I check/change my order?

Click the 'VIEW BASKET' button in any of the Online Shop sections and you will see the status of your order. The number of items and brief descriptions of them is shown. If you wanted more than one of the item, you click the 'EDIT' button, to move to a page where you can change the '1' in the little box, at this point, then click 'CONFIRM' . You may empty your basket by clicking 'REMOVE' for each item in turn, until your basket is empty.
If you have any problems please feel free to contact us by .

5.  Can I pay using a credit or debit card?

Yes - you can use VISA credit and debit cards, Mastercard, Maestro or Paypal (we do NOT take AmEx). Our online shopping system is very safe.

You may, however, prefer to place your order by mail, in which case you will need to send a cheque, in Sterling, drawn on a UK bank, and made payable to "Janet Granger".

6.  I live in the UK - can I send a cheque?

Yes, of course you can, but not when ordering through the online shop - only by mail. So - if ordering by mail, you can send a cheque (but you cannot pay by credit card). You can send a cheque along with the order form printed in our catalogue. Orders placed by post need to have postage added, though - the rates for this are listed on the reverse of the order form.

7.  Can I place an order and arrange for it to be sent to another address?

Yes, we can send to any address you specify, though we reserve the right to ask for extra details, sometimes, in the interests of the security of your credit card.

8.  What does the postage cost?

As from April 2013, for orders placed online, postage is FREE OF CHARGE when your order totals £40 or more, to any destination in the world. On orders of £39.99 or less, postage is £1.75 to UK addresses, or £3.50 overseas.

9.  How quickly will I receive my order?

UK customers:
We can usually offer a 'by return' postal service, as we try to keep all dollshouse needlepoint kits and charts in stock at all times.
Overseas customers:
Parcels destined for overseas addresses are sent by airmail, but will take a little longer to arrive - for instance, it may take seven days for a parcel to reach the USA, and fourteen days to reach Australia. Delays caused by Customs, industrial action, bad weather, etc., are out of our control, however.

In any case, please allow 28 days before querying non-delivery. Even though Royal Mail will start a 'lost items' procedure after 15 days, in our experience virtually every parcel turns up eventually and Royal Mail's tracing procedure has never once worked for us. Therefore, we ask you to be patient if your parcel is taking longer than you would like to arrive. Please note parcels are not sent by a trackable method, so as to keep costs down and because we feel it is unnecessary.

10. What guarantee do you offer?

You have the right to cancel your order at any time up to 7 working days from the day after receiving the goods. You may cancel, in writing (by email or post), to the address given on our home page. We guarantee to refund the full purchase price within 30 days of cancellation. Any such unwanted goods remain the property of Janet Granger and must be returned to us at your own expense, unused and in perfect condition. If they are not returned, we will collect them, and deduct the direct cost from the refund.
Of course, if a kit is faulty or has any component missing, then we will replace the kit immediately on its return to us, and refund any postage cost you have incurred. Refunds will only be made to the original credit/debit card account, or by cheque payable to the signatory of the original cheque. Please note that chart packs are non-returnable.

This guarantee is in addition to your statutory rights as a consumer.

11. How do I get a copy of the printed colour catalogue?

The colour catalogue is an A5 size booklet, featuring clear photos of all the designs, and may be ordered online, or by mail, or you can even download PDF files and print them out yourself, if you want a free copy - it's easy, just click here for details.

12. Do you deliver outside the UK - to the USA, Canada, Australia or Europe, for example?

Yes, we do. We will ship to any country, worldwide POST FREE on orders of £40 and over. There is a postage charge of £3.50 on order values of £39.99 or less, when sent overseas by airmail.

13. Can I pay in another currency, other than British pounds?

You can pay in any currency, if you buy online using a credit or debit card. All the prices are listed in English pounds, but your credit card issuing bank does the conversion and takes the equivalent in your currency from your account automatically. For example, if you are in the US, you pay in dollars; we get paid in pounds!

14. I live in the USA/Canada. How do I convert pounds to dollars?

The simple answer is - you don't need to! Just follow the normal shopping cart procedure, agreeing to buy in pounds, then your credit card issuing bank does the conversion and takes the equivalent in dollars from your account automatically. You pay in dollars; we get paid in pounds!

To work out how much a price in pounds means in dollars, you need to know the exchange rate on the day. If, for example, it is 1.6 dollars to the pound, you multiply the price in pounds by 1.6 to get the price in dollars. For example, £15 = 15 x 1.6 = $24. You can check the latest exchange rate on any day by going to xe.com's currency converter site.

PLEASE NOTE: Do not send currency through the post, as it is not safe. Also, we would be charged an extra £7 (about US $11) to pay in foreign currency to our bank and this charge would have to be passed on to the customer, unfortunately. However, we can accept payment from overseas customers by VISA or Mastercard and Paypal (but not AmEx) - see above.

15. Where can I buy your kits if I don't live in the UK?

The best way to buy our kits is from our ONLINE SHOP, because we ship worldwide.

16. What is in a kit?

Some features of the FULL KITS:
The CHART PACKS (available for carpets and wallhangings only) do not contain any fabric, needle or wool/threads, but DO contain the following:

17. Why do the kits have colour charts?

All kits contain a computer-generated colour block chart which is simple to use and easy on the eyes. If you haven't used a colour chart before, you will probably find that you can finish your project much quicker than when you work from a black and white symbol chart (when you have to keep converting symbols to colours in your head, or laboriously colour in the chart before you can start stitching)!

18. I am colour-blind, so I can't work from colour-block charts. What can I do?

You have two options: If you want to make a carpet or a wallhanging, we sell chart packs, which have a black and white symbol chart in, as standard.

Alternatively, if you prefer to buy a full kit for a carpet or wallhanging, or you would like a type of kit that we do not provide in chart pack format, please state when you order that you would prefer to have a black and white symbol chart substituted for the colour chart. This is a FREE 'substitution' service

19. Can I buy just the chart?

For those who want to adapt the colours or canvas count of a design, chart packs are available for carpets and wallhangings only. These packs include a clear, black and white symbol chart and detailed instructions. For carpet charts, the colour key lists Appleton's shade numbers, as in the full kit; it also gives colour equivalents for Anchor, DMC, Madeira and Paterna. For wallhanging charts, the colour key lists Anchor shade numbers, as in the full kit; it also gives colour equivalents for DMC and Madeira.

Chart packs are not available for any other type of kit that we produce.

20. Will I get good instruction sheets?

Detailed instructions are included in every kit, covering the stitches used (including fringing stitch for the carpet designs), and general finishing details. The staircarpet instruction sheets cover how to measure the staircase of your doll's house. The oval, circular and tiger-skin instruction sheets have special finishing instructions, explaining how to deal with their irregular shapes, as hemming is impractical for these. The wallhanging instruction sheets explain how to add the "tabs". For kits which have extra components, there are details of how the kit is completed by making up the other parts. There is a large tutorial section on the website giving detailed help.

21. Some carpets have fringes. How is this done?

The carpet kits include a skein of cotton thread for adding a fringe, where fringing would be sensible (i.e. the staircarpets, for instance, do not include any). Detailed written instructions, and several diagrams, guide you through this decorative stitch, which is a little like a cross stitch with a loop, worked over the canvas edge. There is a tutorial which explains how to do that, here. If you choose to finish the kit without a fringe, there is always enough crewel wool to hem all four sides instead.

22. What is included in a wallhanging kit?

The wallhangings are worked on 22 count canvas using Anchor stranded cotton (you use two strands at a time) in tent stitch. When finished it is hung by ribbon tabs on a wooden pole and backed with iron-on interfacing. There is a tutorial which explains how to do that, here. The kits include all the materials needed. As with all the other kits, the design is counted from a colour-block chart.

23. Does a cushion kit contain all I need to make a cushion?

Yes. These kits make a good introduction to miniature needlework, and co-ordinate with many of the carpets and staircarpets in the range. Each one will only take a few hours to complete. Each kit contains a piece of backing fabric and some wadding, as well as the usual canvas, thread, colour block chart, and so on. Finishing instructions are also included.

24. What size staircase will a staircarpet fit?

Each staircarpet kit contains enough materials to make a staircarpet 20" long (50cms). This is enough for a 15-step flight in your dollshouse. The width of the staircarpets varies with the different designs - dimensions are given alongside each picture. Remember when ordering your staircarpet to take into consideration the width of your staircase, whether you want a little or a lot of tread to show at the sides of the carpet, as well as any space taken up by spindles.

25. What sort of fabric are the kits stitched on?

The fabric used for all carpet kits is 18 count white interlock canvas. It is very smooth and pliable, and helps produce a very flat carpet. All the carpet kits contain a piece of canvas large enough to enable it to be attached to a 12" (30cm) wide rectangular tapestry frame. When worked on a frame, the canvas should not even need to be blocked when completed. If you do not use a frame, and find that the canvas has become a little distorted, you can iron the canvas with a steam iron (on medium setting), gently pulling the canvas square again. I have found this is much better (and quicker!) than blocking. After hemming and fringing, a final press with a medium hot iron will benefit each carpet, giving a very professional finish.

For the cushion and wallhanging kits, 22 count interlock canvas is used, to give a more detailed finish. The sampler kits are worked on either 28 count or 32 count evenweave, in a suitable background colour for the project (so that you do not need to 'colour in' around the design - you only need to stitch the actual design).

The other kits are worked on mainly 32 count silk gauze (the stockings, needlework stands and some handbags are on 40 count). This is a flexible mesh fabric, which, although the count size sounds as if it would be difficult to work on, is actually just as easy as working on 18 count Aida fabric, as the fabric threads on the gauze are very thin. This means that the holes you are aiming your needle for are comparatively large, when compared with Aida, which has thicker threads and tiny holes.

26. Are the kits stitched in silks, cotton threads (floss) or wool?

All the carpet kits contain 2-ply crewel wool. This type of wool gives a very realistic look to your finished carpet. I have deliberately chosen muted shades, so that when placed in your doll's house or room setting, the carpet doesn't 'jump out' at you visually.

All the other kits are stitched with stranded cotton, using two strands for the wallhangings and cushions, and one strand for the other kits. The Christmas stockings, however, are stitched with one strand of rayon silk thread.

I have included generous amounts of each shade in every kit, but if you run out due to mis-counting and needing to unpick a section, contact me for further supplies of the shade you need, which I will be happy to supply free of charge.

27. I have done cross stitch before, but not needlepoint - is it easy?

Yes, but it's even easier than cross stitch (it's like half cross stitch) - only half as many stitches to do! Some people think of needlepoint as "tapestry" though, technically, tapestry is woven. See the tutorials section for help on the stitches used in my kits.

28. Can your designs be done in cross stitch?

There is plenty of wool or thread in a kit to do it in tent stitch, as recommended, but if you intend to use cross stitch you would definitely run out, as that stitch uses twice the amount of thread. For carpet and wallhanging designs, I would suggest that you buy the chart, instead, if you really want to do them in cross stitch. Working a design that was originally intended to be done in needlepoint, in cross stitch instead, will mean that the finished stitching will look much more intense, as the way the colours work together in cross stitch (in squares) differs from the way those same colours work together as diagonal needlepoint stitches.

You may also need to adapt the canvas mesh size and thread thickness in order to make the design work in cross stitch. (We cannot be responsible for the outcome, if there is any deviation from the way a kit is originally designed to work!)

29. The fabric count seems fine - will working on it harm my eyesight?

No more than any other kind of hand-sewing. The designs look fine, because they are designed to go in a miniature setting, but the actual stitches are similar in size to the cross-stitch, tapestry or needlepoint that many people do all the time. We have many elderly customers who enjoy working our kits, with no problem at all. As with all embroidery, working in a good light is recommended, and stopping for a break occasionally is a good idea !

30. How will I know the sizes of the finished items?

In the ONLINE SHOP pages, near each photograph, the dimensions for each carpet are given in Imperial and Metric measurements. These measurements are of the stitched area of the pattern only, before it is hemmed or fringed in any way. Hemming, in the way I suggest on the instruction sheet, adds an eighth of an inch (3mm) to the total width and length of the carpet. Fringing adds about three quarters of an inch (15mm) to the total length.

Dimensions are given for the other kits, usually in the first introductory paragraph of each section, or alongside each design. 

31. Will there be any new designs in the future?

I have tried to design dollshouse needlepoint kits suitable for most eras and types of dollshouses, but I am always striving to improve the range. I design all the time, and tend to launch new kits every so often throughout the year. There always seems to be more ideas floating around than there is time to realise them, but I'll try!

If there is a particular type of miniature embroidery item you are looking for, please let me know and I will try to design something appropriate as soon as I can. When a new design is ready, the website is the first place it gets seen!

To be sure you are one of the first to see any new designs, or to hear about special offers, join our newsletter list, by clicking HERE.

32. Why do the designs all have names, not numbers?

People seem to be curious as to why the designs have names. This began with the carpets, which were the first type of kit I produced. The reason for this naming is that if I name each design after someone I know, I am more likely to be able to remember it. Therefore, when I am designing, I try to think of a relevant name for each one.The 'Karen' carpet, for instance, is named after a needlepoint designer friend of mine, who really admires all things Arts and Crafts - so naming a miniature William Morris carpet after her seemed ideal.

However, there are exceptions to the rule - I don't actually know anyone called Bathmat!

33. What if I get stuck, or make a mistake?

We want you to be able to successfully complete your dollshouse needlepoint kit. If you are having problems with your kit and would like advice, you can . Alternatively, UK customers can telephone us on 01538 308860 between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

34. Can I send you pictures of the stitching I have done?

We have a special CUSTOMERS' GALLERY where you can see pictures that stitchers have sent us, showcasing the miniature embroidery in their dolls houses, room boxes and so on. Why not add pictures of your finished projects to this page? We would love to see what you have achieved! If you have completed one of our kits, take a photo and send it to us (either as an attachment to an , or as a 'real' photo, by post) - it's always exciting and inspirational to see how many ways people find to be creative!

35. How do I know if the colours of the designs on my screen are accurate?

The photographs in the ONLINE SHOP are as accurate a representation as browsers, VDU screens, etc., will allow.