Evenweave Isn't Always Even

I bought some 18 count Aida cloth at a craft supply store the other day to make a biscornu. I happily stitched away using the Four Little Hearts pattern. Doing the Rhodes heart was a little tricky on Aida as there aren't two separate threads to stitch through but I persevered. I used the DMC 4210.

The pattern is 36 x 36 stitches. Does that looks square to you? It certainly didn't to me. It measures 2" across.

But more than 1/4" longer for the same number of stitches! Almost 16 count lengthways. What??? It's not square??? Who knew Aida cloth wasn't square???

So this fabric isn't any good for biscornus that require pieces to be square. Rats!

Last week I redesigned the hummingbird biscornu pattern.

Original pattern

I replaced the blue 'snowflakes' in the corners with flowers and rotated two opposite birds 180 degrees so their heads were towards the centre.

Again, I stitched the first side on 'evenweave' 28 count linen. And it didn't turn out to be square either.

Across, it measures 4 1/2".

But vertically, it's only 3 3/4". Argh!!!

Who knew 'evenweave' fabric would have different measurement of the warp vs. the weft?  If being square or a particular measurement isn't important, this commercial fabric would do. But now I know why we should buy our stitching fabrics from a reputable stitchery store.

Fortunately, I did bring some good 32 count linen fabric with me and the first hummingbird piece I stitched tonight is square. I'm now working on the second side. This one will stitch together nicely. Stay tuned for an update in the very near future.