Aida count

[MnLtWspr]

Ok so I know what the count is when it comes to the fabric. What I am curious about is if I get a kit that comes with say, 10 count aida, and I choose to switch it out and stitch the design on 18 or 20 count, How would it effect the look of my overall piece? Like if the original design was kinda blocky, would it look better but just have smaller dimensions?

[MaggieM1750]

a design on 18 or 20 would be about half the size as the same design on 10 ct.

aida and evenweave are however many stitches per inch. Higher the count, the smaller each stitch

heres a calculator to play around with.. keep your stitch count the same and just change the fabric count to see how the dimensions change

http://www.yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm" target="_blank

[MnLtWspr]

a design on 18 or 20 would be about half the size as the same design on 10 ct.

aida and evenweave are however many stitches per inch. Higher the count, the smaller each stitch

heres a calculator to play around with.. keep your stitch count the same and just change the fabric count to see how the dimensions change

http://www.yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank

Well I don't really care about how big or small it is, what I'm wondering is the look of the design itself. There is a nice waterfall picture I'd like to stitch but the only thing holding me back is how blocky it looks. It has trees and the branches don't really work if it's blocky (just my opinion) so my hypothesis was that if i used a higher count, it would make the stitches themselves smaller therefor the branches would be thinner and look more like a real tree. Am i correct in thinking this would be the outcome?

[Serinde]

It probably should look less blocky on smaller count fabric. Maybe. Or it might just be blocky and small. The only way to tell is to do a test stitch of a small section of, say, tree branch or whatever section of the design that's really got you worried.

[Rose]

Big or small count the over all picture is what it is. The pattern does not change just how big the size is. I would think if you think it looks blocky in 10 count it is still going to be the same pattern so it will look blocky in 20 count but the blocks will be smaller.

[Mabel Figworthy]

The look would most likely be different -- I mean, if it's a really blocky design it won't all of a sudden make it all smooth and lovely, but generally the smaller the individual blocks (that is to say, stitches) the smoother it will look. The peacock I did on 22ct and 40ct definitely looks more rounded on the 40ct, even though it's exactly the same design.

[goldenlightdesigns]

actually it depends.

If your chart is a converted-from-photo chart, then stitching it on a higher count fabric would definitely make it look better. Kinda like an impressionist painting. When you look at it from afar it looks so detailed but when you look at it upclose, it's not really something you could decipher. So stitching it on higher count simulates looking at it from afar.

Now when your chart is designed from scratch chart then it would look the same regardless. But stitching on a higher count of fabric gives you more coverage.

[Mystonique]

I've found it works both ways. Yes the individual blocks aren't as obvious on a higher count but this can also take definition away from a piece as well as make it look smoother.

The other thing to consider is that any back stitch can become overwhelming on a piece stitched on a higher count.

[JuliaM]

The finer fabric with a high thread count almost always looks better for me. I think this is because the shape of the individual cross stitches is less obvious and each stitch becomes more a point of colour in the overall design. Of course it depends on the design, but I think the trees and branches will look better for you on the finer fabric. But watch out for the backstitch as Mystonique says (maybe you could use just one strand for any backstitch here?).