I would agree to start with evenweave rather than linen because its much more regularly woven. As for a hoop, I was taught never to use one on linen because it could so easily distort the weave. Q-snap frames could work instead of round hoops.
I prefer linen when Im stitching 2 over 2. Its tougher than cotton evenweave, and I find I warp it out of shape far less than I do with evenweave.
I think you will find if you havent bound the edges of your Aida before, you will definitely need to do this with your linen. Otherwise you will keep catching your thread on the rough edges. A frame/hoop is surely a must. And keep your tension even, be careful not to pull your stitches too tightly.
If you are stitching on a light colored canvas with a dark thread, be careful how you make a leap from one area to the next. You might see the thread more than you could on Aida. I dont leap far on linen, cos I always can miscount!
If you put something light on your knee like a pillowcase you will see through the holes more clearly. You will need good light on your work now more than ever. It takes me about 10 minutes into the stitching session before Ive got my "linen eyes" up and running, and Im not having to second count every stitch.
I love the way that linen ground fabrics look. There is a far richer palette of colors out there for linen than Aida I think. And for the bigger designs with lots of gaps in the stitching I think it makes the ground fabric a feature. And the design looks more impressive, because lay people cant immediately tell how youve made the stitch so even!
Everyone else has given great advice. Im doing my first project on something other than aida, Im using 40ct linen. It seems intimidating and you definitely have to pay a little more attention but its really not that scary once you get into it. I have a scroll frame for mine, and the edges came sewn off already so that was a plus.
I have never tried stitching on this fabric but I see so many different colors and textures, I think I will try. Also have to go get some 28 needles to use. Thanks for the info!
When I first used linen I constantly counted holes because you have to skip one hole diagonally then the other way. Once you get the hang of it, it will be 2nd nature. Just practice.
I only recently started with linens. I started with a dark blue fabric, and Id recommend something lighter. As someone said earlier, good eyesight (or magnification) & adequate light are most helpful!
I only recently started with linens. I started with a dark blue fabric, and Id recommend something lighter. As someone said earlier, good eyesight (or magnification) & adequate light are most helpful!
chekccard