emb-linen-msg - 12/2/97 Embroidery linen sources. NOTE: See also the files: embroidery-msg, emb-blackwork-msg, embroidery-SW-msg, emb-frames-msg, P-Emb-Frames-art, linen-msg, textiles-msg, cross-stitch-msg, p-x-stitch-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 10:46:47 -0700 From: Timothy Patrick To: sca arts Subject: embroidery lined I am learning to do cutwork (hardanger and hemstitching to start) and am looking for materials to do it on. I wanted to try out linen, which I've never used before, but the prices for embroidery linen is way out of my price range. On-line sources are around $50.00 per yard. I could try cotton hardanger cloth, but I think I prefer single woven fabric and the hardanger cloth I have seen is double threads. It is also over $20.00 a yard. Can anyone give me a source of linen that is under $20.00 per yard? Do you know if I need to use embroidery linen or could I use plain old linen. Is there some othe material that I don't know about? Although I've been doing enbroidery all my life, I find I am an absolute beginner when it comes to materials and know shamefully little about them. I only learned what aida cloth was a few years ago. Any information would be much apriciated. Thanks Aubrey Anna Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 14:24:31 -0400 (EDT) From: EowynA at aol.com To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen Greetings unto Aubrey Anna , You inquired about sources for embroidery linen less than $50/yard. That's pretty much the going rate. Most modern embroiderers use what is called a "fat quarter" -- which is a quarter yard that is 1/2 yard in length, and half the fabric width in width. It is the same area that a quarter yard cut the normal way is, but the results are more nearly square, instead of a very long rectangle. This of course costs a quarter of the full yard price, which brings it into the realm of almost reasonable for embroidery pictures and such. I presume your intent is to make something rather larger. My advice is to buy a bit of embroidery linen (a fat quarter or less) in your preferred count (threads per inch -- 28 to 36 is common, and then it generally is worked over two threads), and a little linen from the fabric store (typically not the same counts as embroidery linen -- I've found upholstery linen is rather courser, blouse-weight linen finer, and also perhaps keep your eye open for "white sales" at the local dept. store. Their linen table cloths on sale can sometimes be great fabric buys. Then experiment. On the finer cloth, you may have to go over four threads instead of two. On courser, over only one thread where you would normally do two. See what you like to use, what gives the effect you want. I admit, I love linen for embroidery (I mainly do cross-stitch, Assisi, blackwork, Elizabethan polychrome silk and metal thread, some stumpwork, pulled thread, and dabble in a few others) , and will hardly use anything else. But fine materials cost fine money. I experiment with whatever I have on hand, but use the good stuff for the projects that I will spend some time working on. Have fun! Eowyn Amberdrake, Caid (Laurel, Pelican, etc.) Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 11:42:59 -0700 From: Lady Catherine Mcgire To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen EowynA at aol.com wrote: > My advice is to buy a bit of embroidery linen (a fat quarter or less) in your > preferred count (threads per inch -- 28 to 36 is common, and then it > generally is worked over two threads), and a little linen from the fabric > store (typically not the same counts as embroidery linen -- I've found > upholstery linen is rather courser, blouse-weight linen finer, and also > perhaps keep your eye open for "white sales" at the local dept. store. Their > linen table cloths on sale can sometimes be great fabric buys. Then > experiment. On the finer cloth, you may have to go over four threads instead > of two. On courser, over only one thread where you would normally do two. > See what you like to use, what gives the effect you want. > > Eowyn Amberdrake, Caid > (Laurel, Pelican, etc.) I agree with Eowyn Amberdrake said for the most part, but you can generally find "better prices from catalogues the service the home sewing trade. I have found natural(100% linen) linen "suiteing" that is about 28- to 32 count in natural and some colors from anywhere $10.00 to $15.00 a yard. Granted this is not "embroidery" linen but it works well. I have made a table "runner" circa 1300 using this, submitted it to an Arts tournment and got good coments on it (it won over 11 other entries). Also if you want to be a "purist", Wal-Mart carries prepackaged cross stich linen, including Irish(both raw and bleached) at prices that are with in reason $6.95 for a 24x36 inch piece on up. Good luck with your project. Lady Katherine Malveren Mc Guire Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 15:22:04 -0500 From: flyingneedle at webtv.net (Betty Pillsbury) To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery lined Greetings Aubrey, Congratulations for having the determination to go ahead and try new things. Hardanger must be done on an evenweave cloth (the same number weft as warp threads). As mentioned already, linen and other evenweave blends are expensive. You might check out Nordic Needle (1-800433-4321). They often have sales on linen and hardanger cloth. As far as hemstitching goes: it can be done in a couple different ways. You can do it on coarse linen (up to 40 ct) and count each thread as you hemstitch. Or, you can use oyster linen (about 80 ct) and is available at fabric shops for 20-25 per yard (60 inches wide). To hemstitch with this fine linen, do not count the threads, but use a ruler to measure out your intervals. Hope this helps you. Good luck and keep finding new embroidery techniques. Bronwynn O'Loughlin Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 14:21:35 -0800 From: fspfw at aurora.alaska.edu (Patrick and April Woolery) To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen Greetings to Aubrey Anna and the members of the list. I am also interested in cutwork, and I had the same revelation about linen prices. I economized by practicing on cheaper cotton cloth - onasberg is my favorite. It is coarse but it serves, and it costs $3.50/yd. here in Fairbanks, Alaska. It may well be obtained more cheaply in your area. I asked a seamstress friend of mine where she obtains cloth for such projects. She buys linen at a local "antique" store in the form of napkins, tablecloths, etc. She says that these cannot be bettered for price and availability, at least in our small, out-of-the-way town. The situation may be reversed in most areas, but price checking could prove worthwhile. Thrift stores may also be worth a try. Good hunting, Nataliia Tomasovna Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 09:00:50 -0400 From: karen at georesearch.com (Karen Green) To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen While hardanger is OOP by about 300 years, it's closely related to cutwork and it's a good first step in learning cutwork. You might want to pick up some 22-count Aida to play with. :) Karen Larsdatter Barony of Ponte Alto, Atlantia Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 09:47:37 -0700 From: ladymari at GILA.NET (Mary Hysong) To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen If you don't mind using cotton instead of linen I have purchased 22 count cotton embroidery cloth by the yard at some fabric stores and saw it once at Walmart. I beleive the brand was Charles Craft, but might be mistaken. Worth looking around for. it's usually not out and obvioous in the big fabric stores, so you might have to ask. I cross stitched roses for the yoke of a western shirt on it with one or two strand of floss which was enough to cover. Hope the helps. Mairi -- Mary Hysong and Curtis Edenfield Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 14:03:08 -0500 (CDT) From: fiondel at i1.net To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: embroidery linen As regards emboirdery linen: I did some white-on-white church linens for my minister once, and my fee was that he buy twice as much linen as he required. When I saw it, I just had to know where it came from, because it was perfect. I was told that most of the larger religious supply shops either have church linen, or can order it, relatively quickly, for minimal cost. Beautiful stuff. Holds a stitch well, works easily, and clean up is a breeze. So, you might want to call a local religious supply. If you don't have one near you, let me know. There's one right down the street from me. After all, many of the churches designs haven't changed since the early 1300's. Fiondel Date: Thu, 13 Nov 97 13:29:30 PST From: "Frank&Tracy Thallas Jr" To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: SCA-ARTS digest 252blackwork cufs > >If you don't use linen, any even-weave fabric will do nicely. > >The best of luck! Phillipa > > What kind of count would be best for something like this? Are you talking > normal linen that you can pick up at a cloth store or something limited to > special stitching shops? If normal cloth store stuff, how do you see to > count it? > > Clare I have used fine batiste for most of my projects, since linen is not available in this area; generally about 66-68 count. The way I see to count it is to take my glasses off and hold the fabric VERY close to my face ... On the subject of uneven thread count, most of the fabric I've used isn't quite right - you can stitch a small square in the stitch size you plan to use to determine this, and then adjust accordingly to make your square actually "square". Even Onasburg (which make great "tourney" shirts , wear forever) can be worked this way. Liadain Edited by Mark S. Harris emb-linen-msg Page 5 of 6