Aida or evenweave: advice please.
emerald
often replace the Aida in kits with evenweave or linen. I recently bought a
kit where the entire piece of fabric will covered with stitching and wonder
if I should replace the Aida, since it won't show.
I think I might also have read (who knows where?) that a heavier fabric,
such as Aida, is better for a fully stitched piece since it tends to stretch
and warp less.
Comments anyone?
emerald
Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply
>..........a heavier fabric,
>such as Aida, is better for a fully stitched piece since it tends to stretch
>and warp less...........
This theory might be strictly person opinion but I agree with it. Also, if
the design has a minimal number of fractional stitches, I see no need to
replace the aida with a more expensive evenweave. The feel of the fabric is
not a consideration for me -- I stitch on whatever seems the most practical.
Some people absolutely *hate* the feel of aida so they stitch everything on a
fabric they like the feel of. foe me -- ALL stitching is equally pleasing --
aida, evenweave, DMC or silk. it's pretty much all the same to me. I will
change fabric &/or fibers to achieve a desired look or to make the stitching
easier or faster if needed -- those are about the only reason I will make
changes. CiaoMeow >^;;^<
.
PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^<
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!
Visit my albums @ http://www.picturetrail.com Username is tiamary (no caps,
no spaces)
Liesch
stitched solid. No one will know what fabric is used, stitched solid
designs seldom have any fractional stitches, and yes, the aida will be
better able to stand up to the weight of the floss used in a stitched solid
design.
This isn't just my opinion by the way. I stitch models for Kustom Krafts
and many of their designs are stitched solid. I have done 8 of them so far,
all over 15 by 24 in size when finished and they weigh a ton.
Rita Liesch
"emerald" <ejk...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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F.James Cripwell
I can only answer from my own experience. For my first maiden, since
it was all stitching and no fabric would show, I decided to use aida.
Never again!!! My next two maidens are done on good old linen. The
reason was two problems, possibly the first self inflicted. I love #28
tapestry needles, and found how easy it is to split the aida strands. I
also tend to split the linen fibres, but not nearly as much. I also find
that aida does not "give". As you put the second, third and fourth
threads in the same hole it becomes more and more difficult to get them in
just the right place. With linen, the strands seem to give, and it is much
easier to get the four threads in the same hole to be positioned just right.
--
Jim Cripwell. In the land of ice and snow, where it's 99 below,
And the polar bears come wandering o'er the plain.
Robert In the shadow of the pole, I will grasp her to my soul,
Service. We'll be happy when the ice worms nest again!!!
kuranes
Liesch wrote:
> Don't waste your money replacing the aida in a kit where the design is
> stitched solid. No one will know what fabric is used, stitched solid
> designs seldom have any fractional stitches, and yes, the aida will be
> better able to stand up to the weight of the floss used in a stitched solid
> design.
>
> This isn't just my opinion by the way. I stitch models for Kustom Krafts
> and many of their designs are stitched solid. I have done 8 of them so far,
> all over 15 by 24 in size when finished and they weigh a ton.
>
> Rita Liesch
Huh. This is something I never really thought about.. the weight of a finished
product. I'm going to pay attention to this now :)
Cari
CowieLuv
such as Aida, is better for a fully stitched piece since it tends to stretch
and warp less.
Haven't had any distortion problems using evenweave (lugana for the most part)
as my fabric for projects that have a lot of solid areas of stitching.
cowie
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
MOST of my work is full coverage, no backing showing anywhere. So I
prefer the thicker stiffer Aida, and sometimes even add more starch to
it.
Many long years ago I used to be a draftsman and we made most of our
drawings on white linen. To the layman it looks like blue plastic.
It's just heavily starched linen, a very good quality linen too! Nice
enough to make a white dress shirt from.
I had several sheets of this material and scribed gridlines on it to
use for some cross-stitch patterns (samplers) I was making. Being
stiff it was very easy to work on, and when washed it came out to be
the most soft and supple piece I had ever done, but more importantly,
all of the stitches were perfectly uniform due to the prior stiffness
of the material.
I was asked many times how on earth I ever stitched on such soft
linen. I never told them<G>.
TTUL
Gary
Dianne Lewandowski
has a lot of sizing, resembling canvas in structure and feel.
Dianne
On 15 Mar 2002 11:50:56 GMT, bf...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (F.James
Alison
wrote:
Hi Emerald, I like Aida, especially 18 count aida, when the piece is
stitched solid. It does give a nice weight to the piece and I find it
easier to see than the equivalent evenweave (36).
Alison
TessC
I have just finished a piece called "Isle of Skye" which was originally a
petit point design. It's dimensions were 270 st x 190 st. This was a solid
stitching piece. I originally started this on Lugana 32ct and realized that
the fabric was too soft to carry the weight of the stitching (2 over 2). I
changed over to 16ct Aida and it came out beautifully.
I have mounted it on foam core and am waiting for the frame. The mounting
was completely troublefree and it is perfectly square. I credit that to the
body of the Aida.
I will replace Aida in a kit if the stitching is not solid because I just
don't like the way the fabric looks on more delicate designs. But if I'm
doing a "country" piece, I think it adds to the effect.
Tess in Canada
"emerald" <ejk...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Liesch
problem for him on a large piece. The only time I have washed aida before
stitching on it (had to, got blood on an area of the fabric that would not
be stitched over), I ended up with a super soft, floppy fabric that I could
never have stitched on if it weren't for my scroll frame.
Rita Liesch
"Dianne Lewandowski" <dia...@heritageshoppe.com> wrote in message
news:3c91f0e0...@news.netnet.net...
F.James Cripwell
> Would this "stiffness" be resolved if you pre-washed the aida? Aida
> has a lot of sizing, resembling canvas in structure and feel.
> Dianne
>
Probably, but I think it might make the problem of splitting the aida
threads worse. With the stiffness they tend to stick together, but if it
was washed, my guess is that they would separate more easily.
Irene
Go ahead and use the aida. You may find it more comfortable to NOT
use a frame, and roll the UNFINISHED part into your holding hand. I
have never had a problem with putting solid stitches into Aida, even 3
strands of floss on 14 count. It might be the combination of scooping
stitches and working from right to left that does it.
I choose Aida, as all fabrics, by feel. You may find that a good
quality was used in your kit (I hope). Make a note on the chart for
your own reference. It is usually cheaper to replace the ground
fabric in the kit than to suffer...
I choose Aida over evenweave to stitch on black, as my hand easily
finds the holes from the back.
Beverly Shimada
design, as one of the problems I've found is that the fabric slips around a
little.
Is that what you did, Gary, or was it just the gridlines? And has anyone
else tried this for using iron-on or other transfer methods?
Beverly
"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." <ClassicHa...@bbs.galilei.com.nospam> wrote
in message news:3c91f01b....@news.galilei.com...
Cynthia
I like the way the fabric looks *with* the design. If none of the fabric is
showing, I wouldn't waste money on expensive fabrics because none of it will be
seen. I too use both Aida and evenweaves and like both.
Cynthia
"TessC" <cdncal...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
On the Old Mill I'm working on, the Aida has been sprayed and dried
three times on both sides with spray starch (not spray sizing) before
I started on it. It's not as good as the old boiled and dipped
starch, but it gets the job done without the mess of the old way.
TTUL
Gary
Dianne Lewandowski
eliminate problems, but doesn't "guarantee" to eliminate problems.
I've never tried starching extra heavily. I've been wanting to get
some drafting linen, but after seeing Gary's post, will just take
linen I have and starch *very* heavily. I also strongly recommend
people do surface embroidery on a starched piece. But I will tell you
that with handling, the fabric just becomes floppy anyway. At least
on the finer grounds I often use. But it DOES help the stitching
immensely.
A Hungarian woman who used to live across the street from me eons ago
used to starch her husband's shirts. She recommended to me that the
powdered starch that you boil on the stove is far superior to the
liquid starch. I haven't seen powdered starch, but if I ever come
across it, I'm going to grab it.
Dianne
Marie K
never heard of doing that. Under what circumstances would one use this
method and which is better....old boil on the stove starch or spray starch?
Marie in Pa.
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
Let's say you are working on some fine soft linen.
Using starch keeps you from pulling the threads of the cloth together
as you form the cross-stitches and keeps them all uniform in size,
without puckering the material.
Remember the old WIDE cross-stitch patterns used on pillowcase ends?
One slight pull a little to hard and you end up with a puckered area.
Definately the boiled starch is better and produces a nice stiff piece
of material and I doubt the spray starch would even work in this
situation. Aida is already fairly stiff, so adding three more coats
to each side with the spray starch helps it keep it's stiffness while
working on it.
I also keep it rolled and inside of the plastic tube. The plastic
tube is split top to bottom, then 1/16 inch of the plastic trimmed off
to leave a slit for the material to exit the tube, otherwise it fuzzes
up from your arm sliding around on the edges. The mounting frame
dowel is inside the tube with the material stretched over it. The top
is usually left open over that end of the stretcher, however, I often
use an old tube slipped over that too that has a cork strip glued to
it to hold threaded needles from flopping around.
TTUL
Gary
Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply
>Let's say you are working on some fine soft linen.
>Using starch keeps you from pulling the threads of the cloth together
>as you form the cross-stitches and keeps them all uniform in size,
>without puckering the material............
Sheesh Gary -- NOW you tell me!!!! I absolutely HATE to stitch on linen
because it just seems that the threads slide around over top of each other --
especially when trying to do anything in a satin stitch! I absolutely *never*
thought about starching the fabric *before* I started to stitch!
I have a pretty good sized chunk of the 40 ct. linen from hades left and
wanted to do something with it besides burn it. Whatever I do, I will be SURE
to starch it before stitching :-))))))). CiaoMeow >^;;^<
Dianne Lewandowski
stitching on aida or evenweaves. I won't even attempt to address that
issue as I simply don't have enough experience. And I would be
cautious because you will have to wash it out, and if you are using
"some" silks (not all of them), and some cottons (again, not all of
them) you may run into problems during the washing phase. So, if you
want to "experiment", I'd make sure all my threads don't bleed and can
take the washing process well.
I was referring to starching finer fabrics (non countable grounds in
general but not necessarily so) for general embroidery. It is *very*
helpful. Especially when transferring patterns. Cautions above still
apply.
Speaking of transferring patterns, I've been told that several
well-known designers (such as Paula Heckman) recommends using a Pilot
brand extra fine-tip pen in green for tracing designs onto fabric. A
month ago I purchased these extra fine-point Pilot pens in black, blue
and green to give it a go. This morning I used the blue on white
"jean" for a Mountmellick pattern. The pen skipped lightly and nicely
over the loose threads of the ground and I was able to cover entirely
with stitching. It won't wash out, but the line was extremely fine.
I plan to keep trying out this stuff until I figure out what works
best and where. I simply hate working with the washable blue pens,
but that's really all there is, except Dixon chalk which means you are
constantly redrawing as the chalk wears off.
Dianne
On Sat, 16 Mar 2002 13:49:26 GMT, "Marie K" <mak1...@comcast.net>
wrote:
Marie K
Have you ever tried to use that for the transfer of patterns? What do you
think of the air fade fading ink? Does it fade too fast to be used in this
manner? Marie in Pa
"Dianne Lewandowski" <dia...@heritageshoppe.com> wrote in message
news:3c93c61a...@news.netnet.net...
Anna
I use spray starch - quicker and easier!
I find it says tighter in the hoops this way, and on finished pieces,
give "body". However, I don't use it on framed pictures, becaseu I'm
worried about mould and mildew.
Anna
Derbyshire, England
WIP: "Spirit of Scotland" (DMC)
"Better Not Pout" (Dimensions)
"China Dresser" Fridge Magnet (Cross Stitch Collection Magazine)
Undo the knot to mail me.
Dianne Lewandowski
wrote:
>Hi-Thanks for the answers to all! Diane, what about using No. # 2 pencil?
>Have you ever tried to use that for the transfer of patterns? What do you
>think of the air fade fading ink? Does it fade too fast to be used in this
>manner? Marie in Pa
>
I strongly caution against the use of No. 2 graphite pencils for the
following reasons, and NEVER use them with silk.
Graphite pencils leave flakes (minute dust particles) that get sucked
up into fibers. It is particularly bad with silk fibers that seem to
act as a wick. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get this grit/grime/gray stuff out
of floss.
Also, graphite pencil marks can be nearly impossible to remove, even
when the fabric is starched, even when the marks are quite light.
I KNOW that some designers use them, tell "students" to use them,
write them in their materials list. I, personally, have used them in
a pinch. But they are absolutely unequivicablly not to be trusted and
I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.
Washable blue pens are a miracle for embroiderers. I have had them
fade with time, but we're talking months, not weeks. And only on some
fibers, not all grounds. The downside is that it makes your
embroidery look ugly while you're working on it. That is solved once
washed. The cautions for these pencils are:
ALWAYS rinse with COOL water prior to washing them with detergent.
Rinse under running water and make sure no blue is remaining. THEN
AND ONLY THEN wash them. If you MUST bleach for some reason (and I've
done this frequently), do the RINSE, WASH, RINSE prior to using
bleaching chemicals. The newer bleaches can react strongly with the
blue dyes of the pencil and create PERMANENT brown or yellow marks.
Always rinse sufficiently prior to ironing because left over soap
scorches readily, particularly on linen which requires a hot iron, but
also on fine cottons.
There are air eraseable pens. I've experimented with them. I don't
like them. The marks disappear too fast. If you use them, the fact
that they can't be seen doesn't mean the dye is gone. Follow the
above rinse, wash, rinse for the same reasons.
I'm currently testing the Pilot brand fine-point pens in several
colors. I've also used bluing and traced designs with a camel hair
brush. I've also used bluing for transfer. If not toyed with
sufficiently, the marks can be permanent. Experimentation with ratios
of bluing to sugar to water and the ground you are using is a must.
Most hot-iron transfers that are readily available simply make too
wide a line to be covered sufficiently with embroidery, and they are
often permanent or nearly so.
Dixon chalk pencils are extremely safe, but a pain, as you must
constantly retrace as you embroider.
Whew. Enough said.
Dianne
Irene
> because it just seems that the threads slide around over top of each other --
> especially when trying to do anything in a satin stitch! I absolutely *never*
> thought about starching the fabric *before* I started to stitch!
> I have a pretty good sized chunk of the 40 ct. linen from hades left and
> wanted to do something with it besides burn it. Whatever I do, I will be SURE
> to starch it before stitching :-))))))). CiaoMeow >^;;^<
> .
>
Leftover? Thought about making hankies out of it? You know--the
functional kind? Or maybe a dinner napkin to keep the gravy off the
DH's tie?
Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply
>>.... I have a pretty good sized chunk of the 40 ct. linen from hades
left.....
>Leftover? Thought about making hankies out of it? You know--the
>functional kind? Or maybe a dinner napkin to keep the gravy off the
>DH's tie?
I had to buy a fat quarter of the 40 ct. linen and t'weren't cheap I can
tell you. I only used an 8" square piece of it for the P.F.H. which
meconsidering the cost and the count, no way will I use it for something
functional. I am gonna stitch some kitties on it I think but I can also tell
you that I won't be using silk -- LOLOL! HMMM, I wonder how Wisper would work
on 40 ct?? I should imagine I would be bouncing off the walls if I tried that
-- LOLOL! This stuff is pretty irregular in the thread sizes and *that* is
really what has been giving me fits! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
Marie K
appreciate it! Marie in Panews:3c963ce8...@news.netnet.net...
Marie K
help with a good tight tension. Thanks for the information. Marie in Pa
"Anna" <anna....@knot.virgin.net> wrote in message
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