Thanks everybody for your valuable advice. The colour test on just a few different colours was a good idea Rife- I did that and nothing bled so I feel confident enough in going foreward. I also did a thread count on the fabric and it looks as if it will fit perfectly so that issue seems resolved as well. I think the different feel and the impression that the weave is looser may come from it being a synthetic evenweave, whereas I'm more used to linen or a cotton blend. But, as I said, the quality of the fabric doesn't worry me too much as nearly all of it is going to be covered. So, I guess I'm sticking with what I've got! I must say the people at Janlynn have been very nice to deal with (I was missing one colour of beads from the kit and they said they'd send them to me, no fuss).
As it turns out, the very first thing I did on this project was make a big mistake- I worked the vertical on the horizontal! A real amateur's goof! I guess I'm so used to working on square pieces of fabric that I didn't even think to make sure I was doing it the right way! Luckily, I had only finished one strand before I realised! I guess you never really stop making stupid mistakes, do you!
I'm having lots of fun taking my time on this project. After the big rush of getting the bush babies finished on time for my friend's little girl's birth, it's really nice to settle back into my normal pace- nice and relaxed!

Happy stitching everyone!
