Aida, evenweave or linen? Choosing cross-stitch fabric without the guesswork

October 21, 2026

Photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Every cross-stitch chart is just a grid of squares. The fabric decides how big each square becomes, and that one choice changes the size of the finished piece, how easy it is to stitch, and how it looks on the wall. Here is how the options compare.

What “count” means

Count is the number of stitchable holes or threads per inch. On 14-count Aida there are 14 squares in every inch, so a design 140 stitches wide is 10 inches wide. On 18-count, the same design is 7.8 inches. Higher count, smaller and finer design.

Aida

Aida is woven in little blocks with an obvious hole at each corner. You put one cross in each block. It’s stiff, easy to count and hard to get wrong, which is why most kits use it.

• 11-count: big, chunky stitches. Good for children, beginners and anyone who finds small holes hard to see.
• 14-count: the standard. Most charts are designed for it.
• 16 and 18-count: finer detail, smaller finished size, more eye strain.

Evenweave and linen, stitched “over two”

Evenweave is a smooth fabric with the same number of threads each way. Linen is similar but made from flax, with natural slubs and slight irregularity. Both are usually stitched over two threads: each cross covers a 2 × 2 square of threads.

That halves the stitches per inch. So:

This is the part that confuses most people: a “28-count” fabric sounds tiny, but stitched over two it makes a design the same size as ordinary 14-count Aida. The count converter shows one design on all of them at once.

Why stitch on evenweave or linen at all?

• Fractional stitches. Quarter and three-quarter stitches need a hole in the middle of a square. On Aida you have to pierce the block; on evenweave over two, the hole is already there.
• The look. The finished piece has a softer, more traditional surface without the visible grid of Aida.
• Unstitched backgrounds. Designs that leave much of the fabric bare look better on linen.

The trade-off is counting. Two threads are easy to miscount, especially on linen with uneven threads, so give yourself good light.

How much fabric to buy

Work out the design size, then add a margin on every side. Three inches is the usual figure for framing, enough for a hoop while you stitch and for lacing or mounting at the end.

For a 120 × 90 stitch design on 14-count Aida:

• Design: 120 ÷ 14 = 8.6 inches wide, 90 ÷ 14 = 6.4 inches high
• Fabric: 8.6 + 6 = 14.6 inches, 6.4 + 6 = 12.4 inches

So cut a piece at least 14⅝ × 12⅜ inches, and round up to what the shop sells. The fabric calculator does this for every count.

Quick picks

• First project: 14-count Aida.
• Small, detailed piece (ornament, card): 18-count Aida or 36-count linen over two.
• Heirloom sampler: 28 or 32-count linen over two.
• Large design that has to stay a sensible size: a higher count. Doubling the count halves the size.

Before you start

Hem, zigzag or tape the raw edges so they don’t fray during weeks in a hoop, and find the center by folding the fabric in half each way. Starting in the middle means the margin ends up even on every side.