Fabric Talk
There are two main types of fabric used for cross stitching, referred to as evenweave and Aida, although Aida is still evenly woven. Either of these fabrics make a good choice for cross stitching because the evely woven warp and weft threads allow the stitches to be made identical size and to be accureately placed on the fabric.
Evenweave fabric - Evenweave fabric has the same vertical and horizontal threads woven to every 1 in. of fabric. The number of threads is called the count. The most popular sizes are 28 and 36 count, which contain 28 or 36 threads for every 1 in. Cross stitching is usually worked over pairs of evenweave threads rather than single threads, which means that when you stitch on 28 count evenweave you can fit 14 stitches into 1 in. of fabric. Evenweave fabric can be made from linen, cotton or a blend of different fibers.
Aida fabric - Aida fabric is the most popular evenly woven cotton fabric used for cross stitching, and its appearance varies from the traditional evenweave fabric described above. For Aida, groups of even sized threads are woven together to form a series of distinct blocks, over which individual stitches are placed. The blocks are very easy to count so this fabric is perfect for a beginner. Like traditional evenweave, Aida is available in different counts: 14 count Aida is one of the most widely used sizes, allowing you to fit 14 stitches to every 1 in. of fabric. 11 count Aida (11 blocks to 1 in.) has a larger weave so the stitches are bigger, while stitches worked on 16 count (16 blocks to 1 in.) or 18 count (18 blocks to 1 in.) are smaller.
Evenweave fabric - Evenweave fabric has the same vertical and horizontal threads woven to every 1 in. of fabric. The number of threads is called the count. The most popular sizes are 28 and 36 count, which contain 28 or 36 threads for every 1 in. Cross stitching is usually worked over pairs of evenweave threads rather than single threads, which means that when you stitch on 28 count evenweave you can fit 14 stitches into 1 in. of fabric. Evenweave fabric can be made from linen, cotton or a blend of different fibers.
Aida fabric - Aida fabric is the most popular evenly woven cotton fabric used for cross stitching, and its appearance varies from the traditional evenweave fabric described above. For Aida, groups of even sized threads are woven together to form a series of distinct blocks, over which individual stitches are placed. The blocks are very easy to count so this fabric is perfect for a beginner. Like traditional evenweave, Aida is available in different counts: 14 count Aida is one of the most widely used sizes, allowing you to fit 14 stitches to every 1 in. of fabric. 11 count Aida (11 blocks to 1 in.) has a larger weave so the stitches are bigger, while stitches worked on 16 count (16 blocks to 1 in.) or 18 count (18 blocks to 1 in.) are smaller.
posted by The Angels Nook @ 6:12 AM
