Hi all,
I'm getting ready to start a project from a magazine that calls for 28ct black Jobelan. I have very little experience stitching on anything other than Aida except for my one Chickadde pattern I'm doing on 28ct Evenweave. I have never touched a piece of Jobelan so I'm not familiar with it.
I decided to head to my JoAnn's last night to see if they carried Jobelan ( long shot, I know but my JoAnns has 3 aisle for cross stitching so they are pretty good). Well no luck there but they did have 14ct black Aida so I bought it.
Here's my dilemma. Do I stay in my comfort zone and stick with the Aida, or do I order some Jobelan online and try that. I think what I'm struggling with is the fact that I've heard mention on here about how difficult black fabric is to work on and I'm wondering how difficult it will be to see the holes in the Jobelan ( because you have to stitch over two and the holes, I'm guessing are smaller).
Any tips or advice?

Btw: the finished project in the magazine is framed but I may very likely turn mine into a throw pillow so I have to keep that in mind too, I guess.

Oh, and if I use the Aida, I can start today but if I order the Jobelan, I will have no choice but to work on a until it gets here...

I've always been a baby steps of a person.. IE. I would only venture onto one new thing at a time. With that in mind I would stick with the black aida and venture in jobelan with a color where I can better see the holes.. I'm also sold on the not having to wait to start the project! Black fabric is amazing because it really makes the colors that you're stitching on it stand out... it's not that difficult to stitch with you just have to have a really good light source (day light is awesome!). It also helps if you put a light colored fabric like a towel or blanket under your lap...Helps to make out the holes a bit
Faith

You said that you've used 28ct evenweave before. Well, Jobelan is a type of evenweave (the different names come from what the fabric is made of, ie cotton/rayon vs. cotton/modal vs. whatever else). If you did well with the evenweave before, I don't see why you wouldn't do well again. The trick with using black, whether aida or evenweave, is to put a white towel or similar in your lap to give better contrast for seeing the holes.

Of course I'm a jump in with both feet kinda gal, so I'd just go for the Jobelan. Unless you absolutely, positively can't wait to start. Then all bets are off.

mechie

Are you up for something new? I say order the Jobelan. Try it. If you hate it, you've already got the piece of aida to work on.

When I am stitching on black, or any dark color, I lay a white dish towel across my lap, or a pillowcase. And I really only stitch on it during the bright mid day sun, in front of a window. (I don't have good lighting in my house otherwise I might be able to stitch on it at other times- my house feels dark after 2-3pm) I sort of look through the fabric, through the holes.. not really looking at the fabric. Takes me a minute to get into my rhythm on dark fabrics. I don't know why dark fabrics are tougher to work on- but I can't do long stitchy times on dark fabrics. On lighter colors, I could stitch all day.

HeeHee, ok 2-1 so far in favor of Jobelan
Great tip about the white cloth and good daylight!

3 in favor of the Jobelan. I'm also a jump in feet first kind of person. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and have to back off and restart something one step at a time, but I learn something each time so I guess its worth the frustration if it doesn't go well and definitely worth the feeling of accomplishment when it does. I've tried dark fabrics in the past and found them hard on my eyes, but didn't know the tricks I have since learned on the forum, so will try it again when the opportunity comes. I think.

Carole

I'm not an aida person at all so I'd say try out the Joblean and who knows...you may love it
Good luck with the black fabric and deffo follow the tips you've been given on here...
x

I guess I'm different from y'all... I have a hard time stitching my black projects if light is coming from the back. So I don't usually stitch on them during the day, only at night under my mag lite. I think Jobelan is really nice to stitch on, I say go for it!

Well their are alot that say go for the evenweave and it really is your choice but I am an aida girl and I love to work on it so I feel I have to stand up for my fabric of choice.


All of the tips are good ones and regardless of what fabric you decide on you will find them easier to work on if you follow the suggestions. Hope to see a new AL soon.

I would have to plump for the Jobelan as I love a challenge, but you should use whichever you are happier with

I've done a couple really large projects on black evenweave, and I also agree with Dana (Parksfarm). I had a harder time looking thru the fabric for the holes with a light piece of material underneath, in my lap. I had a much easier time with a very bright light shining over it. Stitching outdoors in the daylight was ok, but my project was so big that it was hard to drag it around outside.
The difference in the two fabrics would be the black evenweave gives a finer looking background since the holes and threads are all smaller. Whether framing or making a pillow, you'd want some black material underneath your project so the backing or stuffing doesn't show thru.
I love the look of the black evenweave,and I don't think it's that much harder, but the aida might be more sturdy if you're making a pillow. It depends on how you use it--the evenweave might snag more.

Thank you all so much for your input!
I went ahead and ordered the Jobelan but will hold onto the Aida also ( since it was 50% off) just in case!
I'm excited to try something new ...
Keep an eye out for my 'Bewitching Owl' project coming soon!

Would like to give a little trick I found many years ago. When working on a dark fabric, put a book light in your lap if working with a hoop, Qsnap etc. If working from a floor stand, table top stand,etc clip the book light behind the project. If book light not available, a flashlight (might want to use rubber band and thin dish towel ( thin material lefted over) over the lens to mute the brightness. If on stand, I used my shoe to put the flashlight in on the floor to shine up. (Girl has to do whatever it takes to get the job done and it is very inexpensive) I found the book light works wonderful with showing all the little holes.

Great tips about the light! I have a clip on book light I use all the time in the evenings so I'll play around with it and see what works!

WhenI am working on dark fabric I always stand a table lamp on the floor so the light up shines through the fabric. I find this, with a white fabric on my knee makes stitching a lot easier.

Calico: I have never used Jobelan. But as I was in Joann's this past weekend I was checking it out. And I can't wait for a project to work with it. The fabric is softer/slicker than Aida. Only down fall I found in Joann's was there was not a section of colors. So no black... or even any dark colors.

Good luck with the jobelan - I love jobelan as a fabric - it's lovely and soft to work with and I'm using it in ice blue for a project at the moment. Never tried a dark colour though.

Hi Calico. Glad to hear you went for the Jobelan. The finer background makes the finished project look so much better! I too was reluctant to tackle black or dark navy evenweave fabric, even though some of the designs look terrific. So a few years ago I bought a needlework uplight. This is a lightbox which is lightweight and sits comfortably on your lap. The light shines up through the holes in the fabric making them so much easier to see. Of course you need to be using it often enough to justify the cost, but I had a few projects in mind at that time so it seemed worthwhile.

Well gals, I received my fabric In The mail yesterday and I have to say, it is gorgeous! So smooth and feels just like a nice tablecloth. I couldn't wait to give it a try but I wanted to finish up my Snowy Pines project first. By late afternoon I finally had a chance to stitch on the Jobelan.
I took all the advice you all had given me and tried every which way...white cloth underneath, light on top, light under, window light, everything and I struggled to see those tiny holes
After stitching one line of my pattern, I felt frustrated and discouraged so I grabbed the black Aida and gave it a try for comparison. It was still a challenge but at least I could see the holes and I have to admit, it was a bit more enjoyable.
Maybe I gave up to quickly but I know myself well enough to know if I don't absolutely enjoy the project, it will end up in the UFO pile for good. So, Aida it will be!
Now, I love Halloween and I already plan on using that black Jobelan for some cute MINI designs ( scissor fobs, pin cushion, etc) since I do love it and would hate to see it not get used. I just don't think I could do a very big one on it until I've had more practice with a lighter shade.

I will post in the SAL very soon