Got Linen?!
by Donnett Hartvigsen
(Embroidery.com)
Lavender & Lace: Fairy Dreams
stitched by Donnett Hartvigsen
As with most cross stitchers, I started on Aida cloth some 20 plus years ago. It's the fabric of choice in kits, magazines and shops. For some reason, I was terrified to try linen! I though you had to be this major professional stitcher to stitch on linen. I had been stitching for about 10 years before I worked up the courage to try it.
I had always wanted to do a "Lavender & Lace" pattern, but it needed to be done on linen. (The face was one over one, I will explain what that means in a bit.) So I get my pattern and my linen and sit down to start. Hands shaking. I start the first row and thought, "OK, so this is going to get harder, right?" But it didn't. It was amazing and so easy! I couldn't believe I had been afraid of something that was so easy AND added so much to my stitching. I felt like I had wasted 10 years stitching on Aida cloth. Now linen is my fabric of choice for all my cross stitch projects.
Let's go over the basics. With Aida cloth, the holes are nicely visible, and it's easy to count the stitches. It has a "square-ish", more modern ... almost childish look to it. Linen does not have that clearly defined block appearance. It has more of an of a basket weave appearance, like regular fabric.
On Aida cloth you go from hole to hole. With linen you are going to count the fabric threads. Look for the key, or legend on the design. It will tell you how many floss threads you should be using, and how many fabric threads to go over. The majority of linen cross-stitching is done with two strands of floss over two fabric threads.
The exception to this is for the very detailed work. Like on my first linen piece, "Lavender & Lace Fairy Dreams". Everything but her face was stitched using two over two. Her face was done in one over one, very fine and detailed work. Her face is only about the size of my thumb, and it took eight hours to stitch out! But it was worth it! She looks amazing! Like a painting. Which, in my opinion, is what a cross-stitch should look like ... a thread painting.
Half stitches and three-quarter stitches are much easier on linen than they are on Aida cloth. They also have a more natural look. When working on Aida cloth, to do a quarter stitch you have to pierce the fabric in the center. With linen, you just go over one thread. No more bulky fractional stitches!
Aida cloth tends to be a little stiff and less flowing. A project that has a lot of fractional stitches will look much smoother and more professional when it’s stitched on linen. If you've ever
looked a new cross stitch pattern and thought to yourself, "that's too complicated for me. I could never stitch all those fractional stitches," now you can! You have opened yourself to a whole new world of new stitching possibilities. With out a doubt, linen improves the appearance of your final finished product.
I prefer to work on a scroll frame, but whether you work on a scroll frame or a spring tension hoop, it is important to keep your work as taunt as possible. This will keep your stitches even. If you’re using a scroll frame, I recommend always winding the fabric on the bars so that the BACK of the fabric is outside. This way, the front of the design is covered, and has less of a chance of getting dirty. If you’re using a hoop, take the fabric off the hoop each time you finish stitching, otherwise you will make circular marks in the fabric, and your design.
The same needles are used with linen as with Aida cloth. I use tapestry needles. They are blunt, and will not split the threads as you work through the linen. (They don’t poke holes in your fingers, either. Blood does not look that great on linen!) I have used many different brands, and found that the Piecemaker needles give a smoother feel while stitching. They’re my favorite.
Linen does fray more easily than Aida cloth, so you will need to treat the edges. You can whip stitch the edges of your linen, or using a fabric-safe tape around the edges works well, too. I use blue painters tape, and it does not leave any residue on the fabric.
Of course, there’s really no right or wrong fabric. Use whatever you are most comfortable stitching with. The best way to master stitching on linen is just to do it. You don't need to be afraid of the fabric anymore. I promise you, once you try it, you will love it!
And isn’t that the #1 rule of stitching, anyway? ...To have fun and enjoy?
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