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Fabrics 101: The Traditional, the New, the Unusual

© Lori Seaborg

A friend of mine learned how to stitch on 14-count Aida cloth and won't budge from that fabric to try something new, no matter how annoyingly I urge her. Aida is how she learned, and Aida is where she's staying. Well, Aida is fine for beginners, kits, and certain projects, but have you ever seen a beautiful Lavender & Lace angel done in Aida? Sure, so have I, but its beauty fades when it is placed alongside an identical piece stitched on linen. Are you still stitching on the same type of Aida that you received with your first kit ten years ago? If so, you really need to expand your horizons! There are some exciting surprises in store for you!

Let's begin with Aida and linen since they have already been mentioned. Both of these fabrics are evenweaves, which simply means that there are the same number of vertical threads as there are horizontal threads, and they are for the most part evenly spaced. Aida has very evenly spaced threads and is available in several counts, which is the number of threads per square inch. 14-ct. Aida is the most popular size, and the one that beginners are usually started on. Linen has smaller holes and the thread counts are often higher. Most designs have you stitching over two threads on linen, so that the finished design on a 28-ct. piece of linen will be the same size as if you stitched it on 14-ct. Aida. Linen and Aida also differ in feel, with linen being typically less firm, and cost, with linen being far more costly.

Linen is an evenweave fabric, as mentioned. Evenweaves are available in cotton, linen, cotton/poly, cotton/rayon, and other blends. The best way to get to know the different types of fabrics is to go to a local needlework shop and feel the fabrics on display. If you are not fortunate enough to have such a shop nearby, look at the fabric list at http://www.dnai.com/~kdyer/faqs/nf_fabri... . In the needlework shop you will find fabrics from scratchy to silky. Some of them you are sure you will see on the clearance rack next week because they are so ugly, only to notice on your way out the door that there is a gotta-have-it-wanna-stitch-it primitive Santa model, stitched on that ugly fabric -- and it's perfect! There now, the variety of fabrics available has interested you.

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