32 Count Fairy Dust Belfast Linen Precut Cross Stitch Fabric 19x27 in by Zweigart 3609/305

Stitch on Fairy Dust, a 32 count Belfast linen by Zweigart: a soft off-white Fairy Dust linen with a delicate cream tone. A light, quiet ground lets every colour in the chart read true.

A little stitcher's folklore: girls once worked a sampler as a school exercise, stitching alphabets and numbers on linen before they embroidered anything for the house, and many of those samplers survive in museums today.

Why this fabric: if you are moving up from Aida, Belfast is the classic first linen. Worked over two threads it gives 16 stitches per inch, the same scale as 16 count Aida, with a softer and more traditional finish. This shade suits heirloom samplers, monograms and classic florals.

In the pack: one precut piece of Zweigart Belfast, 100% linen, 32 count (12.6 threads per cm), in Fairy Dust. Not included: chart, floss, needle and hoop, sold separately.

Getting started: overcast the edges, fold to find the centre and stitch over two threads with a size 26 or 28 tapestry needle, using two strands of floss. Wash finished work by hand in cool water and press face down on a towel.

Size: 48 x 68 cm (19 x 27 in). Worked over two with a 2 in margin all round, it fits a design of about 235 x 360 stitches. Large enough for a framed picture, or cut it down for cards, bookmarks and ornaments.