I'm curious about needlework fabrics

[Kristie]

I'm new to this forum. I've been embroidering forever, since I was a kid, but I've mostly done iron-on transfer patterns in simple stitches. I would really like to learn more about artistic embroidery, so I joined this forum. I also do mixed media collage art.

My question is about needlework fabrics. I mostly embroider on chambray and lightweight denim. I love the weight and feel of those fabrics. I have a bit of evenweave linen I bought as a remnant at needlework shop, but I haven't embroidered on it. I'm taking Sharon B's personal library class next month, and I'm saving the linen for that. I also have some DMC evenweave linen that I hate. It's see through!

Where should I look for other needlework fabrics? And what should I look for? I would like to learn more about these fabrics, but I honestly can't figure out where to look or what to look for or what questions to ask.

[MargB]

Kristie
Mary Corbet did a very good piece on her blog on linen fabrics the other day
http://www.needlenthread.com/2009/09/linen-for-hand-embroidery.html - she is a fount of information and has other articles worth reading on the subject of fabrics.
margb

[Kristie]

That's a fantastic resource, thank you!

[Ann Clare]

I think it depends upon what you want to embroider. Almost any fabrics can be stitched.

I have enjoyed working on satin, but that's too flimsy by itself, so I've put it on top of a thin linen or cotton base and sometimes put a sheer on top to vary the finished piece in different lights! This has worked for seascapes etc, but obviously wouldn't be any good for clothes.

Embroidery on fine clothes often has a supporting thin vilene on the reverse that can be cut away after stitching. Velvet embroidery looks lovely but can be hard to work......

[Kristie]

It's sort of like underlining an item of clothing, right? You give the fabric more body. Thanks for the ideas.

[Lorelei Terry Halley]

Kristie
There are lots of internet sources for embroidery fabrics. There are different fabrics for different kinds of stitching. That see-through linen you bought would be perfect for pulled thread work, or for any counted thread embroidery (where you do stitches spaced by counting the fabric threads). If you have been doing iron on transfers, it sounds as if you like curvilinear designs -- naturalistic shapes. For that you can use any fabric that is easy to push a needle through. For instance, bed sheet fabric would not be good because it is tightyly woven and resists the needle going through it. This would be very annoying. Lightweight denim and chambray would be fine for any freeform curvilinear motifs. Cotton and linen both feel nice to work on.

Here are some sources:
victorian cottage treasures
nordic needle
everything cross stitch

[Kristie]

Thanks for the resources! I will check those out.

Just last night I discovered that I can fold the sew-through stuff in half to make it something that I enjoy stitching on.

[Liz in Kansas]

I would think that just about any fabric would be suitable for embroidery. As Ann Clare mentioned, some fabrics need a backing of some sort, and sometimes a double layer is all that is needed as you discovered. The thing to do is experiment with different weights of fabric and how you prepare them. I have even stitched on bed sheets, but as Lorelei mentioned the threads tend to resist taking a needle. But it is doable! Once you have tried lots of different fabrics, you will gravitate to the ones you like best. I personally love stitching on a medium weight linen. The needles seems to swim through it, and I especially appreciate the feel of it after stitching on bed sheets!

[Catherine Ronan]

Hi Kristie,

I have a lot of trouble finding nice fabrics where I live. We only have one fabric shop (Jo-Ann's) and a retail upholstery store.
I have read upholstery shops are a good place to look for fabrics to hand embroider on in one of Jane Nicholas's books. It all depends on what you want, color, texture, weight and so on.
I like silks and lighter weight fabrics but I always back them with iron on Pellon before I start stitching. I have also used a light weight muslin (not ironed on) behind my silk or light weight fabric but I do prefer the iron on Pellon. I like silk broadcloth to stitch on or a cotton damask. I have also used "real" suede cloth. Real suede cloth is light weight and will not unravel on the cut ends. I have had a hard time finding that though. I do have a source that has limited number of colors.
It is a good idea to take the needles you are going to be stitching your design with you to the fabric shop so you can see how easily they go through things like upholstery fabric.
I hope this has been of some help. I am new here too.

Catherine

[Kristie]

Catherine, this is really helpful, thanks! I appreciate your suggestions. I went to a needlework shop a few weeks ago to buy a piece of linen, and I was very intimidated by the lady who helped me. I didn't know the questions to ask about what I was buying, so I wanted to look at several pieces. She was helpful, but definitely seemed annoyed that I needed to see everything. The sad part is that after all that, I don't even like the linen!

[Sharon]

Kristie, I like to start with what you would like the piece to do...so is it for the wall, or a cushion , or clothing. If it needs to be hard wearing, or can it be delicate and flimsy and never need to be washed.
Some fabrics are alot harder to deal with. Silks and wools are more expensive but the finish is devine.
The Iron on Pelon makes life easy especially with the flimsy and anything that has stretch. I think you should get a note pad or journal and a pencil a cuppa and have a lovely time sketching your plans... you can stick pictures of things you love in with them and build your ideas....the fabrics will find you then...have fun Shazz

[Laura Connor]

Kristie,
I don't know what kind of projects you do but I haunt the thrift shops. I find beautiful silk skirts, dresses and blouses and use them to make crazy quilts which I embroider. Recently, i found a large piece of red and off white silk fabric at my local Goodwill (thrift shop). I also found a lovely silk wrap around skirt with a tiny floral print. Silk is a joy to embroider on. The quilt university http://www.quiltuniversity.com/ has classes on embroidery that will get your creative juices going.

I often embroider from photographs of insects or flowers but if I want a pattern, I run the silk through my printer using freezer paper to stabalize it. There is plenty of information online about how to do this. You can also buy fabric that is already on paper that will run through your printer.

For the crazy quilt I am doing for myself I used a photo of my floating home. On my computer I added lines to the photo until a had a complete line drawing. Then I deleted the photo. I was left with a nice pattern for embroidering a picture of my houseboat. I am not very skilled at embroidery but I love the creativity of it.

Laura

[Kristie]

Thanks for all the ideas. I'll have to try stitching on silk. I really like the idea of stitching on reclaimed/reused fabrics. I'll have to keep that in mind.

We don't have great thrift stores where I live. I usually visit them when I travel. Relatives think I'm crazy when I show up at their house and want to visit the local Goodwill or church thrift store. :)