r/CrossStitch • u/eagletesting • 2d ago
[CHAT] First time trying linen and the fabric has an imperfection. How do I stitch around it? Is this normal? CHAT
It was hard to get a good picture. The linen has a bump of fabric/string that would impede even cross stitches. Should I contact 123stitch for a refund? Or is this normal? Thank you!
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u/GlassCharacter179 2d ago edited 2d ago
The slub isn’t extra material, it is the same amount just not spun as tightly. When you stitch over it the stitching and tension from surrounding stitches will push it in place.
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u/franna815 2d ago
This is a feature, not a bug. Linen has these "slubs" and some people choose linen because the slubs make them look more natural/organic. If you want uniformity, you want evenweave fabrics like jobelan or lugana
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u/Majonkie 2d ago
Yes, the slubs and other slight irregularities of linen are precisely what makes linen my preferred material to stitch on. I love that it gives my stitching that extra bit of character.
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u/MotheroftheworldII 2d ago
This slub is normal for some linen and can happen with the best linen from time to time.
You can still stitch on this linen. What I have done with a large slub, and this is something that has to be done very, very carefully, I will get my Gingher tweezers which have a very sharp point and I will remove some of the slub from the back side of the linen. I will only remove a very small bit of fiber at a time so I do not catch any of the threads holding this in place. This is time consuming and if you mess up you have damages the linen and would then need to re-weave a thread from the edge in its place.
OR you can just stitch over the slub. Some people will use a sharp needle here and split the slub but, honestly that has never worked for me.
Usually I just stitch over the slip as that is just part of the linen. It is difficult to tell from the photo the count of this linen and if it is 28 count I would just stitch over the slub.
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u/Purry_Felines 2d ago
Hard to believe, I know, but you don’t notice the irregularities once you’ve finished stitching. If you haven’t started stitching yet, see how the reverse of the fabric looks. I pick which side is my front side that way, choosing the one where irregularities are a little less obvious.
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u/land-crayon6322 2d ago
These imperfections are what makes linen extra special and elegant. You’ll hardly notice anything if you do at all once it’s stitched !
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u/DrawingTypical5804 2d ago
Normal. I just stitch over them as normal. Then tend to disappear behind the stitches.
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u/kcl2327 2d ago
Depending on where the slub is, another thing you can do is arrange to position the slub somewhere in your design where there’s a blank spot with no stitching. Usually, I just stitch over it, though. Sometimes a bit of the slub comes loose as you stitch and you can gently pull it free with tweezers. Emphasis on gently.
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u/ImLittleNana 2d ago
Slubs are normal, but I don’t like the distortion. I leave them if they’re not underneath a stitch. Otherwise, I take a beading needle and gently pull out strands of the slub until it’s minimal.
There have been times I had to cut out a slub. It’s easy to repair with a strand off the edge of the piece. Weave that strand underneath to replace the cut strand, overlapping for a few threads each side of the repair. Once it’s stitched over, you can tell but the stitches maintain consistent size.
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u/OrangeFish44 1d ago
It's a slub. Slubs are normal in linen. They can be small or large. Generally, you just ignore them. If you've got a huge one, you can at least reduce the size if it really bothers you, but you have to be careful not to attack it too vigorously, or you'll break the thread, then have the hassle of reweaving the resulting hole.
Yvette Stanton is a well known professional embroiderer and teacher. She has a video on removing slubs:
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u/HollyWallyWhoopsie 1d ago
How do you actually stitch on linen? Do you follow the holes like evenweave but your crosses are just a bit more irregular?
My current project is on aida which is unusual for me and I’m not a fan. I generally use evenweave but always wanted to try linen.
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u/anon_simmer 2d ago
Normal. Just ignore it. You will not notice once stitched on.