Today one usually means the cutwork and eyelet embroideries such as Richelieu used to decorate Grandmother's trousseau.
Fabric type: Closely woven, pure linen fabrics in plain weave are ideal. However, closely woven cottons used for bed linens are also suitable. Try tracing or grease-proof paper to trace a design, transfer it and work it. A monogram on a handkerchief or serviette/napkin is a good starting point to see if this is an embroidery technique that you can master and enjoy. The fabric must be densely woven so that the embroidery around the cut-out areas will hold. It must also be smooth so that you can easily draw (Water-erasable pencils & Transfer pencils) or iron on the pattern outlines. Clean, exact buttonhole stitch edges and outlines are only possible on fine-weave fabrics.
Recommended fabrics: We recommend 3225 KINGSTON pure linen with 55 threads/inch. It fulfills all the demands made by this time-consuming embroidery, is closely woven, smooth and has a high thread count. 3218 BATIST in 100% cotton is also suitable for very delicate, fragile white work.
Embroidery thread: 4-ply embroidery yarn is generally used, the weight depending upon the fabric type and the stitches employed. We recommend 4-ply yarn #20 or #25 on 3225 KINGSTON . For white work, always use a sharply pointed embroidery needle that accommodates your yarn.
