Monks cloth is an even weave fabric, 100% cotton, 60″ wide, 7 count (4 floats per inch). Monks’ cloth has floats going in both directions, so you can work your design either way. Monk’s cloth has to be pre-shrunk before you start to stitch. This cannot be stressed enough, because there is significant shrinkage. Zigzag the edges of the fabric to keep it from unraveling. Machine wash the prepared fabric with detergent in warm water. You can use fabric softener. Dry the fabric in the dryer. Sources can’t agree on the temperature setting. Some say hot, others say medium or low heat. My recommendation is you dry it on the setting you would normally dry it on when you when you wash it later. Depending on the manufacturer, you will see a 4-6" shrinkage per yard. We recommend you purchase 2 1/2 yards for an afghan and 1 2/3 yards for a baby blanket. Monk’s cloth is great for afghans, lap robes, runners, and placemats. It is also an alternative for folks who want to continue to stitch, but their eye sight has declined significantly. There are many ways to finish an afghan, such as hemming and fringing. Monk’s cloth now comes in quite a variety of colors.

Because of the size of floats, you can experiment with lots of fibers. Many folks use size #3 pearl cotton, multiple strands of #5 pearl cotton, 4-ply worsted yarn, ribbon, or Rainbow Gallery Plastic Canvas 7 or Overture.

Huck fabric is a descendant of a linen weave called huckaback. It is usually 14 count (7 floats) per inch, 100% cotton and 16″ wide. This fabric has a smooth and rough side. Sometimes it is hard to tell them apart by feel. The easiest method is to check the floats. One side will have 1 thread per float, while the other will have 2 threads per float. You want to stitch on the side with two threads per float. This fabric does not have to be prewashed. The way you finish your edges will depend on the project. To stitch the design you will want to use a size #8 or #12 pearl cotton or equivalent, or 3-6 strands of embroidery floss. Metallic threads look great on this fabric, if you are not going to use or wash it often. With huck fabric you can make tablecloths, runners, place mats, wall hangings, box lids, or card inserts. The possibilities are almost endless.

Presencia Finca Mouline Embroidery Floss is 100% extra-long staple Egyptian Cotton, mercerized for strength, colorfast, bleachfast and shrinkfast. For all types of hand stitchery including embroidery, cross-stitch, needlepoint, petit point, Hardanger, Swedish/huck weaving and more. Conversion Charts for DMC and Anchor floss numbers make substitution easy and accurate to original designs. Finca Metallic is a true metallic fiber wrap: polyester core with genuine 100% metal sheathing and no rice paper filler. 6-ply, divisible.