Linen Shopping

A reader asked where I like to buy linen. Easy answer . . EVERYWHERE! 🙂

I will share my thoughts on buying linen. You know we’re all different. We will all have different preferences. We all have different needs and wants and we all have different budgets.

Because I didn’t name a shop on here, that doesn’t mean I’ve had a bad experience. In fact, I’ve only had a bad experience once when buying linen.

Buy Larger:

One thing I want to say at the start: Some of my favorite linens are the less expensive, mass produced linens. Vintage Country Mocha by Zwiegart is an example of a linen that is not hand dyed. A fat quarter is about $18 whereas a fat quarter of a hand dyed linen is $29 and up. I love Vintage Country Mocha. I also love Zwiegart’s Cream and Antique White.

This may sound a little extravagant but when you find a color you know you’re going to use over and over, like Vintage Country Mocha and Cream, I buy a full yard, which is 36″ x 55″. It’s expensive but here’s my thinking. Say I have a fat quarter which is about 18″ x 27″. Then I need a 13″ x 20″ piece of linen for a project. That’s going to leave me two pieces leftover – one that’s about 5″ x 20″ and one piece that’s 7″ x 18″. Considering that we need to leave at least 2″ on all four sides of our fabric for most projects, the 5″ x 20″ piece would only have about 1″ depth of usable space and the other piece would only have about 3″ x 18″ of usable space.

But, if I had a full yard, I would cut off a piece that’s 20″ x 36″ off one end. That would leave one piece that’s 35″ x 36″. I would cut off 13″ from the 20″ x 36″ piece so I would have one piece that’s 13″ x 20″ and that would leave a piece that 23″ x 20″. So, I would have the 13″ x 20″ piece to use and leftover pieces that are 35″ x 36″ and 23″ x 20″.

It seems like a lot of math but by cutting the pieces of fabric that are most advantageous to leaving larger, more usable pieces of linen, you’re saving money in the long run and having way less waste.

But, like I say often, a bargain is not a bargain if you don’t use it so just keep that advice in the back of your head and decide if that’s best for you.

Building the Stash:

Not in the beginning, but once you know which linens you love, starting buying an extra piece here and there. Linen is hard to get now and having a decent stash makes it easy for kitting new projects and for being able to start something when you’re in the mood to start something. Sometimes, I buy three or four (or more) pieces of linen trying to get the right color. Choosing linens on the internet can be frustrating. I think that’s why I get hung up on using the same type colors over and over. I’ve found that it’s much easier to adjust the floss color to go with the linen I have on hand instead of trying to get the perfect linen to go with the called for floss.

Shopping for Linen:

These shops are not listed in order of my favorites but I will add comments. These are my go to shops. I will shop at other places but these are the first ones I try. Keep in mind that, at this time, almost all linen is hard to find. It isn’t the fault of the shops. They’re all trying their best. I have no idea who is at fault and it doesn’t even matter because we can’t change it . . just know that some linens, we will probably never find!

Colorado Cross Stitcher:

I have shopped with Sheri for years and years. First she had a yarn shop, and then a quilt shop and now a cross stitch shop. She’s a good person! She has great customer service. I feel like she’s a friend. She often ships the same day the order is placed.

Kitten Stitcher:

Teresa always has a great selection of linen. She has good customer service. She’s a one lady show! She travels to shows and retreats, she designs. She sometimes closes her shop for a week or so when she’s super busy and can’t get the orders out or when she’s traveling but she always puts a note on the front page and will turn off the buying option. Just know that she isn’t always the quickest to ship but she does always ship and she’s a good person too.

Hollis Hands Create:

This is an Etsy shop. She is quick to respond to questions. Recently I needed a half yard of a color and wrote her about midnight one night to see if she had that much. Her fabric is sold by the fat eighths so to get a fat quarter, I would put “2” in the quantity. To get a fat half, I would put “4” in the quantity. I had a response from her early the next morning. She is also fast to ship.

Needle & Flax:

I LOVE her linen! She has a floss tube and she’s really funny. While stitching on her linen, I can hear her voice and she always makes me laugh. She’s another one girl show and her linen is extremely popular. I often have to wait two months for a piece of her linen but she tells right up front . . it’s a long wait and it always arrives!

XJu Designs:

I probably have more XJu Designs linen than any other. I’m still in her club where I get one-half yard each month. I feel like as the geopolitical issues get more volatile, sooner or later, it’s going to be a problem getting her linen. Right now, it takes 3 – 4 weeks from the time she ships it for it to arrive. I love her linen but I kinda hold my breath waiting for each piece to arrive. Kitten Stitcher also carries XJu Designs linen.

I know there are others so I may have to come back and update this list.

Brands:

Some of the brands are also the shops mentioned above like Needle & Flax and XJu. I try to only buy linens dyed on the Zwiegart base, which has an orange thread running through the selvage. While I’m not going to bash any company, I will say that I’ve had a dozen or more pieces of linens from some companies and then, it’s like something changed . . the next order is not so great. I’ve had linen that was stiff as a board; I’ve had linen that feels almost like burlap.

If you have a local shop where you can see and feel the linen, that’s great. Since I’m pretty much only able to order online, I feel like the shops mentioned above are only going to stock good quality linen and I trust them. Ordering directly from a dyer, especially a dyer you’ve never used before can be risky. If you find yourself needing to do that, my recommendation is to order just what you need and don’t go crazy and order 10 pieces to build the stash . . not until you know you like their linen and they’re sending a quality product.

When you find good linen, buy it if it fits in your budget . . you may never find it again!