Hand-dyed cross stitch fabric

What hand-dyed and overdyed fabric is

Hand-dyed fabric starts as the same Aida, linen or evenweave you would buy plain. A dyer colors it by hand, one dye lot at a time. The dye does not settle evenly, so the color moves between paler and deeper patches (B in the picture). Stitchers call that look mottled or marbled.

Overdyed cloth is dyed over a color that is already there, so the two colors mix. Its mottling can be faint or strong.

Two things follow from the way it is made:

• No two pieces match. Color and pattern change from one dye lot to the next, and the piece you receive will not be the piece in the picture. If you need cloth for a set of designs, get all of it at once.
• The same color differs from cloth to cloth. Cotton, linen and blended evenweave each take the dye their own way.

Some patterned cloth is printed and not dyed by hand. Its pattern is the same on every piece.

Which designs it flatters

Hand-dyed cloth earns its place where the cloth shows.

• Designs with open ground. The cloth becomes part of the picture. Mottled blues and greens, for one, can stand for water behind a motif.
• Samplers and other designs meant to look old. A soft, uneven tan gives an aged look.
• Small, simple motifs. The cloth adds depth that a plain ground does not have.

It does less for a design that covers the cloth completely, because the color is hidden. And it can work against a detailed design. A thread close to the color of a patch can vanish into it, and in counted work you cannot move a stitch to avoid the patch. The stronger the mottling, the plainer the design should be.

Does it run when washed?

It depends on the dyer. Many fix the dye and wash the cloth after dyeing, and some state that their fabric is colorfast. Even then, a little loose dye can remain, and strong colors are the likeliest to hold it.

Test before you stitch, the way stitched colors are tested:

1. Wet a clean white tissue or cloth.
2. Press it hard against a corner of the fabric.
3. If color comes off, rinse the fabric in cold water until the water runs clear, and dry it flat.

When the piece is finished, wash it only if you must. Use cold water and do not leave it to soak. See how to wash cross stitch.

Colorfast does not mean lightfast. A dye that stays put in water can still fade in strong light, so hang the finished piece out of direct sun.

How to choose a piece

1. Pick the count and cloth first. Hand-dyed cloth comes in the usual counts. See Aida cloth and linen.
2. Match the mottling to the design. Faint for detail, stronger for a simple motif with plenty of open ground.
3. Lay your threads on the cloth before you start. Move them over the pale and the dark patches. Every color should stand out on both.
4. Buy enough. Another piece later will not match. The fabric calculator, opened on a design of 100 by 100 stitches, gives the size to ask for.

Where to go next

• To color cloth yourself with tea, coffee or dye: dyeing cross stitch fabric.
• To choose a plain color that sets off a design: fabric colors.
• For designs with open ground, look through the samplers.