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Embroidery material? Where do I get it and what is it called?

November 19th, 2012 Leave a comment Go to comments

Okay….so I have a stupid question. I really want to try cross stitching/embroidery but I have no idea what that material is called or where to get it. Not aida cloth, but that plain white fabric you always see people use in embroidery hoops.

Any ideas?

Take a look at this fabric… it’s plain old muslin, and you can get it at any fabric store, or even the Walmarts that haven’t thrown every bolt of fabric out.
Probably in the range of $2-5/yard for 45" wide fabric.
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/21784677
That’s about a 10" wide piece shown there… here’s what the fabric looks like up close:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22521551
the machine stitches here are 3 mm long.

This is what I typically give to beginners for surface embroidery, or for doing stamped cross stitch. It’s cheap, easy to work with and holds up well.

The real secret of embroidery is that once you know what you’re doing, you can embroider on anything you can get a needle through, from the most delicate silk organza like the wings of this dragonfly: http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/stumpwork-dragonfly?context=user
to heavy velvets http://www.hchc.edu/hellenic/campus_life/library/archbishop_iakovos_collection/gallery.html?pic=15 and even leather: http://natural-history.uoregon.edu/metis_textiles13

If you want to do counted cross stitch, then a fabric where you can really see the holes, like aida or evenweave linen, is easier to start with. I usually start beginners at about 10 stitches per inch.

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  1. thejanith
    November 19th, 2012 at 14:45 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    You go to a crafts supplies store and ask for embroidery fabric. Some people use linen or even-weave, but if you’re going to be doing stamped cross stitch instead of counted, you can use any fabric that looks good to you.
    References :

  2. kay
    November 19th, 2012 at 15:06 | #2
    Reply | Quote

    Take a look at this fabric… it’s plain old muslin, and you can get it at any fabric store, or even the Walmarts that haven’t thrown every bolt of fabric out.
    Probably in the range of $2-5/yard for 45" wide fabric.
    http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/21784677
    That’s about a 10" wide piece shown there… here’s what the fabric looks like up close:
    http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22521551
    the machine stitches here are 3 mm long.

    This is what I typically give to beginners for surface embroidery, or for doing stamped cross stitch. It’s cheap, easy to work with and holds up well.

    The real secret of embroidery is that once you know what you’re doing, you can embroider on anything you can get a needle through, from the most delicate silk organza like the wings of this dragonfly: http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/stumpwork-dragonfly?context=user
    to heavy velvets http://www.hchc.edu/hellenic/campus_life/library/archbishop_iakovos_collection/gallery.html?pic=15 and even leather: http://natural-history.uoregon.edu/metis_textiles13

    If you want to do counted cross stitch, then a fabric where you can really see the holes, like aida or evenweave linen, is easier to start with. I usually start beginners at about 10 stitches per inch.
    References :
    50 years of sewing, almost 55 of hand embroidery

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