Though it’s possible to embroider on any fabric, some are better than others. Today in this blog, we will talk about the 5 best fabrics for hand embroidery you will encounter the most. However, the 2 main categories of cloth suitable for embroidery are plain weave fabrics and even weave fabrics.
Plain weave Fabrics
Plain weaves also can be even-weaves, though not necessarily. They are basically woven fabrics in which each thread is over the other, in both directions.
Evenweave Fabrics
These fabrics have threads with an equivalent thickness also – in order that they are soft
Evenweave fabrics ask woven fabrics (cotton or synthetic- are often rayon, polyester, cotton, silk, wool, acrylic, linen, or mixtures of those and other fibres) with the same number of threads per inch in both directions, in order that they’re woven during a regular square grid; this is often important in embroidery for accurate count sizes.
When performing even weave fabric, embroidery stitches are usually done over two threads. You’ll do the partial stitches in cross stitch easily with even weave fabrics.
Tightly woven even-weave fabrics are used for many of the hand embroidery techniques, but loosely woven even-weave fabrics are best for pulled thread embroidery, drawn thread embroidery, and counted thread embroidery.
Satin
The smooth and glossy surface makes it look beautiful with embroidery. Choose good quality satin (cost is going to be high but the thread won’t snag, the surface is going to be smooth and therefore the weave is going to be tighter).
Waste Canvas
Waste canvas maybe a fabric that is employed as a short-lived base for your embroidery; it’s held together by starch and disintegrates easily in water, otherwise, you can pluck it out from your work.
The waste canvas is removed after the entire work is completed employing a tweezer after dampening it.
Silk
Silk is gorgeous and hence a choice fabric for dressmaking and another home decor. Embroidering during this fabric has been a practice for hundreds of years. But it’s harder than even weave fabric.
Use the sharpest needle you’ll find with a really small eye – because the material is tightly woven the top of the needle will have difficulty browsing it. Big needles also leave holes. Use short lengths of thread. inspect the 50 sorts of silk fabrics utilized in dressmaking.
Aida
This 100% cotton fabric features a particular sort of weave during which groups of threads are seen alongside holes at the corners; this counts together as a thread.
This is the number one choice for many beginner embroiderers – it’s easily available at most craft stores and extremely inexpensive.
The needle has got to undergo a bunch of threads, and it doesn’t find itself wealthy enough. Other than this, it’s the well-liked cloth for cross stitch.
The name Java cloth additionally knows this fabric. You’ll count the stitches easily and know where to place your needle exactly.
There are many sorts of Aida cloth available within the market – eight count, to twenty counts, and in as many colours as you would like. Higher the count smaller the work. Most Aida is out there in stitch counts of 11 count to 22 counts.
Aida’s best thing is that you simply can see where your needle goes exactly because the material is woven with threads with small spaces between them.
Aida generally may be a somewhat stiff fabric but you get soft Aida too.
One problem with using Aida is that due to its weave it frays easily. Finish the sides before starting the work to stop this.
Cotton Muslin
Cotton Muslin is usually a plain weave fabric. Muslin is the most ordinarily used cotton fabric for many embroideries – You get muslin fabric starting with a thread count of 60 rising to 200. As you’d have guessed – 200 thread count gives you a really fine muslin fabric that is tightly woven with a smooth surface and which doesn’t damage even when tightly stretched on any tambour. It can even be used with no backing for any fine embroidery like needle painting.
You can’t see clearly where you ought to put the needle in unlike even weave fabric, so it’s more fitted to freestyle embroidery than counted stitch work. Know more about the various sorts of cotton here.
Single thread cotton will be a plain weave as well as an even weave. It’s an ideal fabric for pulled thread and drawn thread work.
Conclusion
These are the six best fabrics for hand embroidery you’ll encounter in your embroidery career. However, there are hundreds of fabrics out there that you can try on. It all depends on your preference and project needs.
If you have any questions or want any advice on the subject or anything associated with embroidery digitizing designs, be happy to reach out to us at Migdigitizing.
