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Aida:
Aida is a
widely used fabric for needlework. It is most often made
of 100% cotton and is very durable.
Aida is woven
so that each square is marked with distinct holes
(openings) so that one cross stitch is worked over each
square of fabric.
Aida is often
used when learning counted cross stitch. The beginning
stitcher doesn't have the added task of counting threads
while learning to stitch. 14 count Aida is one of the
most commonly used.
Aida comes in
a large variety of colors and counts. You may purchase
Aida anywhere from 6 count (6 stitches to the inch) to
20 (20 stitches to the inch) count. If you desire an
even higher count, you can work with 22 count
Hardanger.
If you are
new to using Aida, remember that the smaller the count
of fabric, the larger your stitches will
be.
100% Cotton
Aida is hand-washable with mild soap when preparing for
framing. When attached to clothing, 100% Cotton Aida may
be machine washed in cold water on gentle cycle and
machine dried on low.
I have
attached many counted cross stitch designs to my
children's clothing that were stitched on Aida. It
appears to be indestructable in my experience. Much of
this clothing has passed through several children and
still holds up great!
Two other
types of Aida are:
Yorkshire
Aida: 96% cotton/4% polyester
Damask Aida:
52% cotton/48% rayon
Fiddlers
Cloth: similar to Aida and is 50% cotton/42%polyester/8%
linen.
Hearthstone
is also similar to Aida and is 60% cotton/50%
linen.
For Fiddlers
Cloth, Hearthstone & these two types of Aida, check
packaging or ask your LNS owner for washing
instructions.
Hardanger:
Hardanger is
a 100% cotton fabric commonly used for a special type of
counted thread work that goes by the same name.
Hardanger may or may not involve 'cutwork.' This is when
certain threads in the fabric are cut and removed
leaving an open, lacy look.
Hardanger
may also be used to stitch counted cross stitch designs
if a smaller count if desired.
Evenweaves
Evenweave
fabric is often the easiest for Aida stitchers to work
with as a step to working with linen. Evenweave fabric
threads are of the same width in both directions and is
generally a bit thicker than most linens. It can be
easier to work with when switching from Aida, as there
won't be thick ('slubs') and thin threads as can occur
in linen. Evenweaves are generally worked 2 over 2
threads.
Two of the
most common evenweave fabrics are Jobelan and Lugana.
Jobelan is
usually 51% cotton/49% polyester. It comes in a wide
variety of colors and can be purchased in 16, 20, 25,
28, 32 counts. They also offer 26 count metallic Jobelan
in Gold Lurex and Silver Lurex, which is 90%
polyacrylic/10% metallic.
Lugana is
usually 52% cotton/48% rayon. It also comes in a wide
variety of colors and can be purchased in 20, 25, 28,
and 32 count. Lugana offers a 20 count metallic in
Gold/Cream and Silver/White which is 52% cotton/48%
rayon. A 25 count metallic Lugana, 51% cotton/44%
rayon/5% metallic, is offered in Cream/Gold,
Mushroom/Gold, Sand/Gold, and
White/Silver.
Linen
Linen comes
in many brand names, counts, and colors. Linen can be
the thickness of evenweave or be much thinner. Linen can
be found in 8 count up to 40 count. Linen is usually
worked 2 over 2 threads which would make your stitches
at 1/2 the count of the fabric. So, when working on 28
count linen stitched 2 over 2 threads, you have a design
that is stitched at 14 count.
Linen/Silk
Linen/Silk is
similar to linen except that it is usually a mixture of
80% linen/20% silk and is most commonly offered in 28
and 32 count. Linen/Silks tend to come in more 'earthy'
colors like shades of cream, tan, brown, and gray or
gray/blues.
Needlepoint
Canvas
I will leave
needlepoint canvas to the needlepoint experts for now.
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