How Our Online Classes Work

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

I got an email from Joyce recently, asking how, exactly, our online classes work. Great question! I’m sure you’re not the only one wondering, Joyce, so I’ll answer here.

The way it currently works is this (it’s really pretty simple once you get rolling):

The day before class starts, I send invitations to participants to join the private Yahoo Group that serves as our classroom. The invitation will arrive in your email box with a link to join. Only registered class members are invited and permitted to join—that’s what makes it a “private” Group.

Lessons are pdf files that are uploaded to the “Files” folder inside the Group. In the Bookmarks 101 class, which Joyce specifically asked about, the first lesson is uploaded on Day 1, and subsequent lessons are posted at the beginning of each week for four weeks. You can open and/or download the files any time after they’re posted, whenever it’s convenient for you.

The Group has a message board where we all post questions, answers, experiences, and ideas. You can choose to have individual messages sent to your email inbox, or you can have a day’s messages sent all together in one email, or you can choose to have no email sent and just read the messages online when you log in to the Group.

There is no specific time you need to be online; there are no live, real-time meetings. You can read and respond to messages on your own schedule, from anywhere in the world. In the Bookmarks 101 class, there’s a whole week to read each lesson and experiment with some of the techniques. You’re encouraged to take pictures of your work and upload them to the “Photos” folder in the Group. If you’re not sure how to do that, I can provide instructions, or you can send me your pictures via email, and I’ll upload them for you. If you are unable to take pictures, well, that’s okay, too. We do what we can do, right?

In the Bookmarks 101 class, the focus is on learning some simple stitches, adding some materials and techniques from sewing and other crafts, and then letting loose to see what happens. She who makes the biggest mess wins! No, no, no. Just kidding. Sort of. I happen to be a big fan of messes and find that the most interesting things tend to come from them.

The Embroider Me! Bracelet Basics & Beyond class operates similarly, in a private Yahoo Group, but the lessons are shorter, we create a single project, and it all happens in one week.

I’ve come to see embroidery classes as my forte, and I’m creating more. A class allows me to explore not-quite-standard techniques, which I love, and the pdf format allows me to write instructions in greater detail than chart-printing permits. Plus, I can add lots of step-outs with color images, so processes are clear and easy-to-understand. I’m a writer; writing instructions is my strength and joy.

There are many ways to run classes on the Internet, and I may explore new ones in the future. Right now, this way is super-simple and effective, so I’m sticking with it.

I hope that helps. If you have more questions, please ask.

Counted Thread Embroidery Fabrics 102

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Part two of our counted thread embroidery fabric series seeks to answer the question of how to calculate design sizes for fabrics with different thread counts. For instance, if the pattern model is stitched on 18-count Aida, but we want to stitch it on 16- 14- or 11-count Aida, how big will our finished piece be? We need to know this so we can purchase the proper cut of fabric.

The thread count of a fabric is the number of threads–or squares, in the case of Aida–per inch.

Two Aida fabrics with different stitch counts.

In this image, the needles mark a one-inch section of fabric. Count the squares between the needles on the white fabric, then count the squares on the green fabric. The white fabric is 18-count; the green fabric is 14-count.

A design stitched on 18-count (18-ct) Aida squeezes more stitches into an inch, so the overall design will be smaller than when stitched on fabric that has only 14 squares in an inch. Higher counts yield smaller finished designs.

Most patterns will have a stitch count listed. The stitch count (as opposed to thread count–ay, yi, yi!) is the number of stitches in a design, usually expressed as a-number-wide x a-number-high, or 214W x 128H.

For the record, many patterns will also list approximate design areas (inches wide x inches high) for different fabric thread counts. In that case, we may not need to do any calculating.

Knowing the stitch count of the design and the thread count of the fabric allows us to calculate the finished design area or size. The number of stitches in a design divided by the number of threads per inch tells us how many inches that number of stitches will cover. That is:

Design stitch count / Fabric thread count = Design size

We do this calculation twice: once for the width, once for the length. Let’s plug in the numbers from our example, a design 214W x 128H stitched on 14-ct Aida:

214 (stitch count) / 14 (thread count) = 15.29 or roughly 15 1/4 inches

128 (stitch count) / 14 (thread count) = 9.14 or roughly 9 1/4 inches

So our finished design will be approximately 15 1/4 inches wide by 9 1/4 inches high.

We’re advised to allow at least three inches of fabric all around for finishing, so 3 inches added to both the left and right sides means adding 6 to our width. Adding 3 inches to the top and bottom means adding 6 to our height.

15 1/4 + 6 = 21 1/4

9 1/4 + 6 = 15 1/4

So, we need a piece of fabric 21 x 15 or 22 x 16. I’d recommend going with the larger size, especially if you’re going to ask someone else to frame the piece, but in practice, I’d go with the smaller. What can I say? Squeezing in and squeaking by seem to be my way, especially if I’m doing the finishing myself.

Counted Thread Embroidery Fabrics 101

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Plain weave, even-weave, Aida, Hardanger, linen, Lugana, canvas. These are words we hear when discussing counted thread embroidery fabric—that is, fabric for cross stitch, blackwork, Hardanger, needlepoint, etc. Have you ever wondered what some of these words mean? It’s time to find out.

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  Plain Weave

  “Plain weave” refers to the way the warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) fibers of a fabric are woven together. Plain, satin, and twill are the fundamental textile weaves. In plain weave fabrics, the weft fibers cross warp fibers by going over one, under one, over one, under one, and so on.

  The weave can be loose or tight. Most plain weave fabrics for counted thread embroidery have very loose weaves so we can count the fibers or spaces between them, but muslin, taffeta, and the cotton calico we use in quilting are plain weave fabrics, too.

  Even-weave

  “Even-weave” refers to fabrics in which the number of vertical fibers is the same as the number of horizontal fibers in a square inch. The weave is even, vertically and horizontally, so our stitches are predictably square and even. Cross stitch fabrics are even-weaves.

  Oh, and to make things really easy, these words might be written as “plainweave” or “evenweave” or “even weave.” Two words, one word, hyphenated . . . whatever. We’re creatives–with fabric and fiber and spelling!

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  Herta

  Herta is a 100% cotton Zweigart® fabric similar to Aida. Groups of threads intersect to form clearly delineated squares over and around which stitches are made. Herta squares are larger than Aida squares; i.e. there are fewer squares per inch.

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  Aida

  Aida cloth (100% cotton, and all sorts of blends: cotton/modal, linen/polyester, etc.), like Herta, is not a plain weave, but it is an even-weave. Groups of threads intersect to form squares over and around which stitches are made.

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  Hardanger

  “Hardanger” is the name of an embroidery style as well as the name of a fabric. Hardanger embroidery is a kind of open work that originated in the Hardanger region of Norway hundreds of years ago. As you would guess, Hardanger fabric (100% cotton) is commonly used for Hardanger embroidery, but that’s not strictly necessary. Other fabrics can be used for Hardanger embroidery, and Hardanger fabric can be use for other kinds of counted thread embroidery.

  Note that warp and weft threads are paired. Because of this pairing, some may categorize this as a baskeweave instead of a plain weave, but even so, that’s merely a variation of plain weave. It is also an even-weave.

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  Ariosa

  Zweigart’s Ariosa (60% modal, 40% cotton) fabric is a plain weave. If you look closely at the fibers, you’ll see that they’re irregular, wider in some places, skinnier in others. The fiber count is still even–or even-enough–but some stitches will be slightly larger than others. This is the nature of the fabric.

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  Lugana

  Lugana (52% cotton, 48% modal) from Zweigart® is another plain weave fabric, but the fibers are uniform. It’s as even as even-weave gets.

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  Linen

  “Linen” refers to both fiber and fabric. It’s is made from the flax plant. Slightly irregular fiber diameters and slubs are common and part of the fabric’s charm. It results in stitches of slightly different sizes now and then. Counted thread embroidery uses loosely woven even-weave linen, but crewel embroidery is often worked on more tightly woven linen twill–one of the other fundamental textile weaves.

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  Canvas

  This 100% cotton monocanvas from Zweigar® has an open and even plain weave. Canvases come in a variety of weaves and structures, including double mesh and interlock with twists that secure thread intersections.

I have my favorite fabrics, of course, as I’m sure you do. My fabric choice is guided by

• the embroidery technique and fiber I’m using
• the color I want
• the feel of the fabric
• what’s on hand

We have all kinds of embroidery fabrics available to us. When you get down to it, I’ve used relatively few. Perhaps it’s time to broaden my horizons and try some new ones.

What are some of your favorite fabrics, and how do you go about choosing fabric for a project?