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Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:04 pm
by cgirlish
Well my Linen class was cancelled they have another one scheduled for june25 if that one get cancelled was thinking of just using the money to buy a piece of linen and try it

Any tips??

I found 2 pillow I want to stitch as xmas presents( next year) that call for linen

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:11 pm
by Mrs Milkybar Kid
I love stitching on linen and would say - just go for it!! Can't see why you need a special class to show you how to do it - it's just like stitching on evenweave, but looks a bit more 'rustic' due to the uneven slub.

Use the money to buy more stash I say..... :D

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:03 pm
by karen4bells
Mrs Milkybar Kid wrote:I love stitching on linen and would say - just go for it!! Can't see why you need a special class to show you how to do it - it's just like stitching on evenweave, but looks a bit more 'rustic' due to the uneven slub.

Use the money to buy more stash I say..... :D
I agree--and maybe try stitching on a small design first, just to get a feel for it! I first tried stitching on linen about 15 years ago and have never regretted it! Love stitching on both evenweave and linen! Hope you have fun!!

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 3:36 pm
by Mabel Figworthy
Yep, linen is much like evenweave (in fact it IS an evenweave :-)) so if you choose a not-too-slubby linen for your first project you should be just fine!

Here's what I wrote for a fabric bingo I did some time ago:

Linen Fabric - technically one of the evenweaves, linens are usually classed separately. Apart from being generally less smooth than the other evenweaves, the main difference between linen and the cotton or cotton-mix fabrics is the "slub", which is "a slight irregularity in yarn produced either accidentally or purposely by knotting or twisting or by including uneven lengths of fiber in spinning".

In practice, this means that linen consists of thinner and thicker threads, so that the holes aren't all equally well-defined, and the crosses you make on it are not always of uniform size -- they may not even be perfectly square :shock: :-). This unevenness makes linen slightly more difficult to work on than other evenweaves; however, if you are stitching a "traditional" design, such as a sampler, linen is the obvious choice -- not only because it would have been the fabric used in the original, centuries-old samplers, but also because it ages very well.

The two main brands of linen are Zweigart and Permin (known as Wichelt in the USA); of the two, Zweigart is smoother and has a closer weave, while Permin is stiffer and more open. The choice is really one of personal preference.

Linen comes in as many counts as other evenweaves -- more in fact, as it is made in much finer counts than the cotton and cotton-mix ones. Zweigart names its linens according to their count, as follows:
20ct Cork, 25ct Dublin, 28ct Cashel, 32ct Belfast, 36ct Edinburgh, 40ct Newcastle, 55ct Kingston.
It comes in many colours, among them "vintage", which are given a colour wash to create a mottled effect, and it is also used in hand-dyeing, for example by Polstitches.

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:11 pm
by Wandatoo
There are lots of sites with info about stitching on linen.

Here's a good one. (See the tip about 'the first stitch')

http://www.gloria-pat.com/resources/basics_linen.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:43 pm
by cgirlish
thanks everyone, I was thinking of driving out there and looking at what they have..and finding my magazines again and see what they call linen they say to use

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:11 pm
by xstitch1
I never stitched on linen, I usually stitch on aida but I think I may try it too :wink:

Re: Stitching on Linen????

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:36 am
by cgirlish
Ordered my linen and got it the next day, so glad I called and didn't drive out there ...I think postage was cheaper than gas....

Might start my linen project after my monopoly board, I've been working on it this week, I will try and post a update this weekend

I also found a new needlework shop closer to work, kind of on my way home if I take the long way ... want to stop in soon, but have to hang out after work for an hour since I get off at 9am and they open at 10