310 is notorious for knotting, but I have not tried the cone of doom version yet so maybe it's better 🤔
I would also suggest a Bohin size 28 for all of these, it definitely makes it easier, especially in confetti areas.
Thank you for this post! Am looking for a smaller count fabric myself right now and this was helpful 😊
I am thinking of purchasing a set of 28 as well! The only thing is that I’m pretty bad at threading my needle LOL, and even threading my size 26 can take a bit of time for me. I’m trying to avoid threaders because I think they roughen up the eye and lead to shredding later 😵💫 or maybe I’m just using the threaders too roughly lol
The mill hill ones are thinner than many others I’ve tried. I use them sometimes on my 28s.
I like piecemakers needles the best so far at 28. They feel nice and solid. They do seem shorter than the others I’ve tried, which might be an issue for some, especially those with larger hands.
oh thank you! i am almost done with my first project but the coverage on some things annoys me a tad, i want it to be TIGHT
i'll try what works best next time!!
You’re welcome! That was me in the beginning! I wanted COMPLETE coverage, but after dealing with parking once with a lot of confetti, I quickly hopped off the train haha
2 over 1 on 18 Dmc is pretty close to complete and doable with confetti.
1 over 1 Dmc on 28 is very complete but I haven’t tried it with confetti. Just been doing some of my own tests last week.
https://preview.redd.it/y65n47i8od3d1.jpeg?width=2514&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1ee3efda33209d7451feb36b5e8fbd80a511b00
Here’s 1 over 1 DMC on 28ct. I did this a few days ago. It does come in easy count. EDIT: the easy count 28ct fabric I have is very slightly off-white, btw. I don’t know if that’s normal.
If I used my needle to wiggle the threads around I don’t think there’d be any gaps at all.
The fabric isn’t all that much harder to work with than 25ct. It’s all pretty tiny. ;-)
Have you used evenweave before? 20ct Aida would be “easier” in terms of not worrying about stitch slippage. I never had problems when doing my little tests, but it was an issue here and there on an actual project. There are plenty of posts and web pages that have tips for preventing it, though.
I’ve tried 28 ct linen before, but I really didn’t enjoy it 🥲 I’m wondering if it’s because of the brand (DMC Charles Craft), but it was just so thin and flimsy with an uneven weave 😭 I had a lot of issues with warping, and the back was almost rock hard with the confetti. I gave up after like 200 stitches because stitching was so difficult.
I might need to give lugana a shot though after feeling the quality of the 25 ct !
this is super helpful!! i've been starting to bookmark materials for my own first HAED project, and was debating between the 25-ct lugana that the pattern recommended, or doing 20-ct aida. so thank you for doing these tests so i don't have to! haha
i think i like the idea of the 25-ct lugana, but i'll do some test stitching to see if i like doing 1 strand or 2 strands more (and maybe use the size 28 needle someone else recommended). i've been stitching on <18ct aida for so long, 2 strands is a force of habit at this point, haha.
The 20 ct with two strands is really manageable! The only issue is that I’m going for a SSMC, so my project will end up being extra huge…. And there isn’t an easy grid fabric size large enough for it LOLLL not to mention, I’ll save some money on floss
I'm super grateful you did this test and shared it!
I'm waiting on fabric and supplies for a massive full coverage piece (Before the Night Blooms from Unconventional Cross-stitch), and trying the 25 count gridded lugana for the first time! I've used 14ct aida exclusively, but if I used that for this project it would be 36×48 when finished, yikes!
Anyhow, your experiment could not be more relevant to what I'm doing, saves me time from having to do the exact same thing and gives me confidence I bought the right stuff to make this intimidatingly huge project enjoyable to complete!
Thank you!!!
You’re welcome!! Yeah I kept scouring for comparisons like that haha and I would need to dig DEEP to find them 🥲 and figured I might as well do it myself and see it irl to know what i want
I’d like to suggest you try 2x1 tent on 25ct. It’s a popular option among full coverage stitchers, because it covers like 1x1 full cross. I’d say about 35% of HAED stitchers use it.
https://preview.redd.it/14jbsqjn6d4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a6748ad1184ea283de5964335f2e50525469be0
This HAED is done 2x1 tent on 25ct using CXC threads.
I am adding nothing to the conversation other than: that last one seems rather happy. That is all. Have a wonderful day.
I didn’t notice that LOL and now that I see it, I can’t unsee it
310 is notorious for knotting, but I have not tried the cone of doom version yet so maybe it's better 🤔 I would also suggest a Bohin size 28 for all of these, it definitely makes it easier, especially in confetti areas. Thank you for this post! Am looking for a smaller count fabric myself right now and this was helpful 😊
I am thinking of purchasing a set of 28 as well! The only thing is that I’m pretty bad at threading my needle LOL, and even threading my size 26 can take a bit of time for me. I’m trying to avoid threaders because I think they roughen up the eye and lead to shredding later 😵💫 or maybe I’m just using the threaders too roughly lol
The mill hill ones are thinner than many others I’ve tried. I use them sometimes on my 28s. I like piecemakers needles the best so far at 28. They feel nice and solid. They do seem shorter than the others I’ve tried, which might be an issue for some, especially those with larger hands.
Oh! I’ll try the mill hill threaders then :D
oh thank you! i am almost done with my first project but the coverage on some things annoys me a tad, i want it to be TIGHT i'll try what works best next time!!
You’re welcome! That was me in the beginning! I wanted COMPLETE coverage, but after dealing with parking once with a lot of confetti, I quickly hopped off the train haha
2 over 1 on 18 Dmc is pretty close to complete and doable with confetti. 1 over 1 Dmc on 28 is very complete but I haven’t tried it with confetti. Just been doing some of my own tests last week.
https://preview.redd.it/y65n47i8od3d1.jpeg?width=2514&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1ee3efda33209d7451feb36b5e8fbd80a511b00 Here’s 1 over 1 DMC on 28ct. I did this a few days ago. It does come in easy count. EDIT: the easy count 28ct fabric I have is very slightly off-white, btw. I don’t know if that’s normal. If I used my needle to wiggle the threads around I don’t think there’d be any gaps at all. The fabric isn’t all that much harder to work with than 25ct. It’s all pretty tiny. ;-) Have you used evenweave before? 20ct Aida would be “easier” in terms of not worrying about stitch slippage. I never had problems when doing my little tests, but it was an issue here and there on an actual project. There are plenty of posts and web pages that have tips for preventing it, though.
I’ve tried 28 ct linen before, but I really didn’t enjoy it 🥲 I’m wondering if it’s because of the brand (DMC Charles Craft), but it was just so thin and flimsy with an uneven weave 😭 I had a lot of issues with warping, and the back was almost rock hard with the confetti. I gave up after like 200 stitches because stitching was so difficult. I might need to give lugana a shot though after feeling the quality of the 25 ct !
this is super helpful!! i've been starting to bookmark materials for my own first HAED project, and was debating between the 25-ct lugana that the pattern recommended, or doing 20-ct aida. so thank you for doing these tests so i don't have to! haha i think i like the idea of the 25-ct lugana, but i'll do some test stitching to see if i like doing 1 strand or 2 strands more (and maybe use the size 28 needle someone else recommended). i've been stitching on <18ct aida for so long, 2 strands is a force of habit at this point, haha.
The 20 ct with two strands is really manageable! The only issue is that I’m going for a SSMC, so my project will end up being extra huge…. And there isn’t an easy grid fabric size large enough for it LOLLL not to mention, I’ll save some money on floss
12wt sulky 1 over 1 on 20ct is also quite nice, btw.
I just did a test patch, and yes! You’re absolutely right. I only wish Sulky made more colors 😭
Maybe try Aurifil?
I'm super grateful you did this test and shared it! I'm waiting on fabric and supplies for a massive full coverage piece (Before the Night Blooms from Unconventional Cross-stitch), and trying the 25 count gridded lugana for the first time! I've used 14ct aida exclusively, but if I used that for this project it would be 36×48 when finished, yikes! Anyhow, your experiment could not be more relevant to what I'm doing, saves me time from having to do the exact same thing and gives me confidence I bought the right stuff to make this intimidatingly huge project enjoyable to complete! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome!! Yeah I kept scouring for comparisons like that haha and I would need to dig DEEP to find them 🥲 and figured I might as well do it myself and see it irl to know what i want
Oh man, my formatting got messed up after posting 😭 hopefully it’s still readable… not sure why all my line breaks disappeared
I’d like to suggest you try 2x1 tent on 25ct. It’s a popular option among full coverage stitchers, because it covers like 1x1 full cross. I’d say about 35% of HAED stitchers use it. https://preview.redd.it/14jbsqjn6d4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a6748ad1184ea283de5964335f2e50525469be0 This HAED is done 2x1 tent on 25ct using CXC threads.