Traditionally, linen is considered evenweave because of the definition of a weave. To stitcher’s, linen is not evenweave because of their definition. Both are true.
To be clear, the point of this post is neither here nor there. To stitcher’s linen is not evenweave and that’s fine because meanings change over time. The only problem to encounter now is when someone’s goes to research different fabric types. Then it can get confusing when one website says linen is evenweave and another site says it’s not.
I think Stitch Modern’s How to pick fabric for cross stitch – Linen, evenweave, or Aida addresses this the best.
- “There was a time when evenweave referred to fabric that had the same number of warp and weft stitches per inch. This is desirable for cross stitch because an even weave means even (i.e., square) holes for stitching.”
- “Today, almost all cross stitch fabric has an even weave, and the term evenweave has come to refer to the uniform, or even, fibers that make up the fabric. It means the fibers all have the same width so you don’t have to deal with slubs or other inconsistencies.”
Jean says she is on a soapbox here, but I think it’s worthy of a bigger discussion. She is very careful in the way she phrases things especially since she is a teacher. The way a language evolves is up to the community at large. Even if we know what evenweave means according to weavers, we all still understand what a cross-stitcher means when they say that their linen is uneven!Check out Jean’s video for even more info on evenweave. Also, subscribe to her YouTube/Flosstube channel. There is a lot to learn from her!
Jean of Jean Farish Needleworks started a Flosstube in August, but she has been designing and teaching since 1981. Her channel has gained almost 5,000 subscribers since her first YouTube video. Her popularity seems to have a lot to do with the mini-tutorials she includes in her videos. In this one, she explains that linen can also be an evenweave and what evenweave really means!
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