Originally posted by Kaaren Hoback:
Almost any fabric could be suitable but I like soemthing with a little texture and in particular that fabric used for "Hardanger work". Since it will become an heirloom piece I might avoid silk which tends to shatter with age. There are well preserved linen fabrics from over 2,000 years ago so linen is an excellent choice.
The following description is quited from Wikepedia:
embroiery"Modern Hardanger fabric is an evenweave cotton material woven with pairs of threads, typically 22 pairs per linear inch in both directions, referred to as '22-count'. The weave gives a squared appearance to the fabric (similar to Aida cloth), with distinct holes, making it easy to count and work on. Other evenweave fabrics are also suitable for Hardanger emboidery but do not usually have the clearly defined block appearance. These include pure linen, cotton or mixed fibre fabrics that may also vary in count from 18-24 threads per inch to finer counts of 26 threads per inch or higher."
Kaaren
