I'm not too sure about my stitches, though. I'm working on one of those free graphs from Told in a Garden, the angel dressed in red holding a bouquet of roses. I've got to get the hang of stitching again. I'm also working on the Bird Tree from Goode Huswife.
I'm really enjoying it again, just don't know about my stitches, I don't think I'm holding my thread tight enough.
Anyway, going through my stash, I found this piece of linen that I bought at my LNS (which is still there BTW), it's a piece of tea-dyed linen for the There's no place like Home graph by the Drawn Thread. It's 28 count and STIFF AS A BOARD. I mean stiff. I don't have any linens that feel that way nor have I ever used a piece that was that stiff. Am I being silly or this just the way it is sometimes?
Thank you.
Sandi in Lville, GA
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B
Bertha
On Fri, 25 May 2007 23:54:46 GMT, SMark defied the laws of time and space to say:
You're not being silly--aida is a little stiffer than linen because of the way it's woven, but it's not THAT much stiffer (especially a high count like 28). It's probably the sizing in the fabric making it stiff; if you wash it that should get the sizing out. (The sizing is also what gives some fabric that funny smell that makes your eyes water if you're sensitive to perfumes.)
Wash it in something neutral that doesn't have bleach or anything, like Orvus paste (you can get it in places like Michael's or A.C. Moore; I got a gallon jug of it from a feed & tack store). Kathy Dyer's got a helpful FAQ about all things cross stitch that has info on cleaning:
-Bertha
K
Karen C - California
Play with it. Sit on it. Smoosh it around. The sizing will break up and it'll be much easier to handle.
E
ellice
Since it's a hand-dye, some of those are a bit tighter in the weave, as the fabric has accepted the dye. You could swish it gently in some cool water, and then roll it in a towel to soak up most of the excess, then iron it dry, with a towel underneath. That should soften it a bit. Some hand-dyed linen will actually feel different on the two sides. I am stitchin on some 32 count that clearly had a softer, smoother side, and a slightly rougher side.
Also, don't pull your stitches tooo tight. You shouldn't be distorting the linen threads when you stitch. You just want your stitches to lay gently flat and even - assuming they're XS. Hopefully, you've remembered about stitching on linen, looking to start from that lower left hand corner of the tic-tac-toe box, where the thread to the right of your needle is the one running vertically, and should be crossing on the top of the one just above and running horizontally. Does 2 things for you - gives the stitch nice support, and often due to the weaving method, those holes are slightly larger, and it gives you a consistent reference for counting.
This page on Carol's site (another RCTN'er) has some lovely diagroms:
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your stitching. Don't pull too tight. If you're having some questions about your consistency, you could show someone at your local LNS - if you have one. Also, if you're not using a frame (Q-snap, hoop, scroll bars) then maybe try one - but again, don't pull the fabric drum tight - just even, not stretched to distortion. If your stitches are consistent, and not floppy, then the framer who does your needlework will have them looking nice and even when it's stretched. If you overpull and distort the ground fabric when you're stitching, then the stretching during framing can't fix that.
Hope this helps - just keep at it!
Ellice
S
Susan Hartman
Sometimes linen is just really, really stiff when you start, but loosens up a whole lot as you stitch it. If it can be washed (depending on the tea dye and also on the fibres used to stitch it), you may want to work on it while it's stiff, and wash it afterward. Do you know if the fabric is colorfast?
Sue
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Pat P
Sounds like it has a lot of dressing in it - maybe you should wash it before you start stitching on it.
Pat
E
ellice
LOL -at the differences in our common language! Dressing - something you put on salad, or in stuffing poultry. Sizing - probably what you mean as in the chemical added to fabric to give it body, crispness. I had this vision of a piece of linen covered with blue cheese dressing...
ellice
D
Dianne Lewandowski
In U.S. terms it's called sizing.
Dianne
S
SMark
I don't remember if the piece is colorfast or not. I guess I should ask my shop that I bought it from. It just doesn't seem that the piece is big enough, maybe it is. It's just that I have never seen or felt a piece of linen that stiff.
As far as stitching on linen, I did remember where to start. It's just my eyes are having a hard time adjusting to the fabric, even though I am wearing reading glasses, now. LOL. I start a stitch and tell myself, I'm in the wrong hole, but I keep rechecking and I'm in the right place after all, but it is taking a while.
When I'm stitching on linen, I do not use a hoop. I have used a frame on some of my later pieces. I never mastered the running stitch, however, and still stab-stick my linen.
I once asked my shop if my stitching was good enough to hang in their shop. I thought that would be the best way to answer the question of my stitches. I was afraid that if I asked: how's my stitching, they would just say "great", just to keep me as a customer. But if I asked, if my stitching is good enough to hang in your shop. Their answer: You're hired! And then there I was: I had to tell them I didn't want another job, just wanted to know if my stitches were good enough! The lady before me had asked if she could stitch for their shop and they had told her that they didn't need any stitchers right then, they had enough. So, I think they were being honest with me.
Thanks for all your help! You guys have been so sweet and helpful!
Sandi
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