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What's in a Mearnscraft
kit?
A generously cut piece of material, Anchor stranded
cottons (floss) ready sorted on an organiser, a needle, full instructions,
and clear, detailed charts. On the front sheet there's a full colour picture
of the finished design. Some of the kits include historical notes.
Do you use good
quality materials?
Yes. All material is 100% cotton Zweigart (and we don't use contract
quality). Threads (floss) are by Anchor, although we also use some Madeira
cottons and metallics in the Millennium sampler. The needles are usually
gold-plated.
I see that some of
your designs use over 30 different shades of thread! How on earth
am I going to sort them all out before I start stitching?
You won't have to. In the vast majority of our kits, even the
smallest, the threads come ready sorted on an organiser. In the larger
kits, some threads may be supplied in skeins.
What type of material
is supplied with your kits?
Most Mearnscraft kits are supplied with 27-count Linda cotton evenweave.
There are however a number of exceptions including the Hamish Haggis kits
which come with 14-count Aida, and Nessie, who comes with 11-count Aida.
Linen is sometimes available on request. Clan Crest kits come with
a choice of Aida or evenweave, while MacPherson Design and Rochecraft
kits come with Aida only.
Why do you use evenweave? I usually
stitch on Aida - isn't evenweave much more difficult?
Most of our map kits use quite a lot of fractional stitches and evenweave
is much easier for these - there's always a hole to put your needle through!
Also, the fine writing is often over one thread of the evenweave
material and would be difficult to do neatly on Aida. Finally, we
prefer the finished look of evenweave for our maps - try it and we think
you will too.
I'm still not convinced - can
I please have Aida?
Yes - when you place your order, send us a separate e-mail asking
us to substitute Aida (14-count) for the evenweave and we'll do so - the
price is the same. But we do urge you to try evenweave - many of our customers
who have done so have been so pleased by the results that they hardly
ever use Aida now.
I don't really want a full kit -
can I just buy the charts?
In many cases, yes - almost all the larger Mearnscraft designs and
all the clan crests, as well as some Sewing Room designs, are available
as both kits and Chartpacks.
What's in a Chartpack?
All the charts that you'd get in a kit, including enlarged charts illustrating
fine detail and historical notes where appropriate. Additionally, you'll
get the Mearnscraft Stitching Guide and an Anchor/DMC conversion chart
so that you can use DMC threads if you prefer. As with the kits, there
will of course be a colour picture of the completed design on the frontsheet
of the pack. You won't get the material, threads, or needle, or the detailed
instructions that come with a kit.
If I buy a kit, do I need a chartpack
as well?
No. Each kit includes a full set of charts plus detailed instructions.
Should I use a frame or a hoop when
stitching your kits?
For the larger kits we'd strongly recommend that you use a frame. A hoop,
however, should be fine for the smaller kits, eg Hamish Haggis.
Are your maps accurate?
Yes - a lot of research goes into them. For example, we don't design any
new map kit without first visiting the relevant area and taking photos
of all buildings that we think might be suitable for the design (space
restrictions mean that not all will eventually go on). As a result, even
the colours of the buildings should be pretty accurate, although it's
surprising how these can differ dependant on weather conditions.
How about landscape features?
Again, these are portrayed as accurately as we can within the limitations
of space and the material. We show sandy beaches, lochs, rivers, forests
& woods (we differentiate between deciduous and coniferous woodlands),
and mountains/hills (the bigger they are in reality, the bigger they are
on the map).
What else is on them?
Lots of place names, a compass, and, where appropriate, lighthouses, puffers,
fishing boats, ferries (even they're accurately portrayed) and yachts.
Oh, and our county maps include the old county coat of arms.
Can I customise them?
Yes. Included with the charts is a full alphabet so that you can add
your signature. You'll also be able to add the name of your or your ancestors
own village (assuming its not already there) and some of our customers
put their own or their families houses on them.
What if I get stuck?
Contact us by phone, fax, letter or e-mail. We'll be pleased to help.
What if I run out of threads?
Let us know and we'll send you some more.
What if the dog eats my threads?
As above - but we'd appreciate a contribution to postage.
I live abroad, but my ancestors
came from Scotland. How can I find out which map is appropriate for my
family name?
If you read the descriptions of all our county and island kits, you'll
see that under each we list the more prominent family names associated
with that area. Also, if your name is associated with one of the old Scottish
clans, it's fairly easy to find out where that clan was traditionally
based. Otherwise, it's likely to be more difficult. Most ordinary
Scottish names (and don't forget that the most common surname in Scotland
is Smith) don't have any genuine clan associations and few are associated
with any particular part of the country. In such cases it's much better
to try to find out where your particular ancestors actually came from
- it's surprising how many sources there are on the internet that can
help you get started on this.
How do I pay for goods I buy from you?
Most of our customers pay on-line by credit card, using our Secure Shopping
Basket system. We take Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Switch and Solo.
You can also, of course, place credit card orders by telephone,
fax, or the good old postal system. We also accept sterling cheques drawn
on British banks - we regret that we do not accept cheques drawn on foreign
banks as the cost of transacting these often comes to more than the cost
of the goods. For full details as to ordering, please see our Ordering
page.
Is it safe to make credit card purchases
over the Internet?
We think so - we do it ourselves! However, it pays to take a few precautions.
First, make sure that the people you're ordering from disclose their full
name, address and telephone number. If you're suspicious, you should then
be able to check that they are who and where they say they are. Secondly,
make sure that they offer a secure shopping system which ensures that
your financial details are only transmitted while encrypted - this means
that they're converted into an extremely complicated and virtually unbreakable
code.
How do I know if the shopping system
is secure?
When you come to the point that you have to give your credit card
details, your browser may display a message that you're entering a secure
area and a little locked padlock will appear on the status bar of your
browser - if you use Internet Explorer it's at the bottom, if you use
Netscape its at the top.
I take it you fulfil these criteria?
Yes. Our name, address and phone numbers are shown on this website.
We've been trading for 13 years. Our shopping basket system is properly
secure - your credit card information will at no time be transmitted over
the internet in unencrypted form.
How do I use the Shopping Basket?
 Under
each design there's an "Add to Basket" button in the colours of the Scottish
Saltire (two buttons if you've the choice of either kit or chart). Click
on the appropriate button and you'll be taken to the Check-out, where
what you've ordered will be listed. You've then got a choice - you can
either return to the site, coming back to the Check-out to complete your
order later, or you can proceed to complete the purchase. To do this,
just follow the instructions. After you've given your name, address and
e-mail, you'll be taken to the Secure area where you'll disclose your
credit card details.
After returning to your site, how
do I get back to the Check-out?
Click on one of the many "View Basket" buttons (or order something
more!)
How long will it take for my order
to reach me?
Rather than holding stock, we make most of our kits up to order and
cannot usually therefore despatch by return. However, provided that your
credit card is duly authorised, we aim to despatch orders within ten working
days of receipt. Orders from Britain are sent by First Class post, orders
from outwith Britain are sent by Air-Mail. Currently it takes about four
or five days for air-mail from Scotland to get to the USA, for example.
Do you give any Warranties or
Guarantees?
Yes - see the "Policies" page on this site.
What if I've got a complaint?
We do our best to ensure that you won't have! However, we're only human
and mistakes can occur. Please see our "Policies"
page for details as to how you can contact us and as to how we deal with
such occurrences.
Will you keep my details private?
Yes. We won't send you marketing material and we won't pass your details
to anyone else. Again, our Privacy Policy is set out
on our "Policies" page.
 I
see that your prices are in British pounds. How do I know how much that
is in my country's currency?
You'll see a lot of "Currency Convertor" buttons on the site. Click
on one of these and you'll be taken to a simple conversion calculator
which deals with most of the world's currencies.
I don't live in Britain - if I order
from you, will my credit card company charge me extra because I'm ordering
something priced in a foreign currency?
Check with your credit card company. We do however find that by and
large the major credit and debit card companies appear to offer fair rates
of exchange.
Do your prices include Air-Mail
postage to anywhere in the world?
Yes - the price you see is the price you pay.
Isn't that a bit unfair on your
British customers?
No. We don't have to account to the Government for certain taxes on
goods exported outside the European Union and we use these savings to
pay the extra postage.
I don't live in Britain - will
I be charged any Customs dues?
We can't say for certain - different countries have different rules.
So far as we know, however, none of our customers have ever had to pay
Customs dues or taxes on the goods that we've sent to them - usually Customs
can't be bothered with small-value items such as cross-stitch kits.
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