I’ve squeezed in a little cross stitch time here and there. Not a lot but enough to keep me happy.
I really love this new (for me) system of storing my embroidery floss. I had a big master ring set that had all the floss in it. Then I would take the ones out that I’m using for a specific project and put them in a smaller ring set.
I ended up finding my old floss storage system..I hated this method.
and now it’s all in the new storage system. I had to get another set of rings to hold another master set.
I have this one almost stitched….I just need to stitch the “L”. I didn’t have that color so I was delayed. Happily I had other projects to stitch while I waited to get to town.
So…I stitched this.
I have this one done too!
What I am currently stitching is this one.
After this one I plan to stitch the ABC sampler that is in the same pattern.
I can’t say enough how happy I am that I’m cross stitching.
The last time I posted about it I asked what you all recommend for framing. Someone mentioned having Hubby cut and make frames for me using old frames. Well I’m been hunting at thrift stores and have come up with a couple frames. Now I have to figure out how to tell him the sizes I need.
The next thing I need to do is so learn how to process the pieces once they are stitched. I know nothing about that.
Do I press them? What do I use to mount the cross stitch onto? Does anyone know of a good tutorial that shows me how to stretch the cross stitched pieces?
Help! Any advice would so be appreciated.
I don’t want to end up with many cross stitched pieces simply sitting in a stack and not finished. Goodness know I have enough unfinished quilt projects…I don’t need stacks of unfinished cross stitch projects too.
I use the bags to store my flosses. I store the bags in numerical order in an underbed chest with foam core dividers so I can quickly check by hundreds. The overdyed floss is stored by manufacturer in name order. I like the bags for speed and the easy ability to store smaller pieces or partial lengths of floss. No winding for me.
The framing depends on whether you want it to be archival quality or not. If you don’t care how they last, you can use foam core and tiny pins to pin the cross stitch to the foam core and then tape down the edges on the back of the foam core. You an also sew the piece onto the foam core, just stitching back and forth each way…if you want matting, there is archival matting and you can put spacers between so that the glass doesn’t touch the fabric. If you have pieces professionally framed, it is quite pricey. I stopped doing cross stitch about 20 years ago and even then a small (say 10″ x 12″) piece would cost $50 or so with a 1/2 off coupon at Michael’s or wherever. Another option would be to use your cross stitch pieces in a quilt!
You can actually adhere them to Artist’s Canvas with Fabric glue once they have been cleaned and blocked. This is of course if you don’t want them behind glass. It used to be customary NOT to put these types of things behind glass, but these days I think people use glass a lot more. Sure is easier to clean! :)
When i press cross stitch I always use a towel …Press from the wrong side with some steam…(the towel keeps the intergity of the stitches and doesn’t flatten them ….Much the same way you would press an embroidered piece of work )
I hand wash the piece in wool wash and cold water first. Once it’s dry or almost dry, I put it face down on a white towel and iron it from the back. Most of my pieces were professionally framed. The others I threw out after not touching them for about ten years or so. (They weren’t finished and never would be.)
I love the look of cross stitch with no glass over it. You can see it so much better and I want it to enjoy now and am not worried how long it lasts after I’m gone. I also like about a 1/2 inch or so between my stitching and the frame. Once you figure out how much space you’d like to see, add that to the dimensions of the cross stitch and that should give hubby what he needs to make your frame.
I tend to finish stitching and then store finished pieces until I can decide how I want them framed. Professional framing is so expensive, so I have only framed large pieces. The other pieces that are done are stored on pant hangers, so they don’t get wrinkled sitting in a drawer or bag. I have made some smaller pieces into ornaments, just using a little stuffing and backing to finish them off. I keep telling myself that it’s the process of stitching that I love, not so much the finished product.
http://www.artecy.com/framing-cross-stitch.html How to prep.
https://www.tinymodernist.com/pages/how-to-frame-your-own-cross-stitch How to frame.
I was curious and googled it. The Felt Magnet site had good explanations.
When I was doing a lot of cross stitch I used old paneling cut to the size of my frame. I covered it with batting and then attached the cross stitch. I used a staple gun – alternate sides to get it tight. Don’t know how you would feel about doing it this way but I got it good and tight and it looked nice. Probably wasn’t the best for the cross stitch piece but I never intended them to be heirlooms.
I now use glass over my big cross stitch pieces when I frame them because when there is no glass, everyone who looks at them feel compelled to touch, no matter how clean or dirty their hands are. I finish some of my little pieces as box tops ,ornaments, needlebooks, pincushions flat folds or as cubes. I’m not as fussy about the little pieces that don’t take so long to stitch.
There are some You Tube videos on framing needle work. You might find something useful there.
The cost of professional finishing is too much for my budget these days. I have taken to doing it myself. First a gentle hand wash and press (from the back, on a white towel). Then I sew on a fabric border, sometimes two, to give the look of mats and to bring the finished pieces to the size that fits the frames I use. I make sure it is larger than I need so that I can wrap the fabric around the back of a foam core board and pin in place. Using unwaxed dental floss I sew in a large zig zag from center to sides, miter the corners and pop into the frame. You can also finish small pieces like a mini quilt with backing, batting and binding and add decorative buttons for a fun look. have done that with several projects with a seasonal theme and change them out with the seasons. Glad you are enjoying stitching once again!
The quick and cheap method is the peel and stick boards, you can find them in the needlework section of craft stores. Then use a frame with a precut matte board. The archival method for cross stitch can be found on Mary Corbets Needle and Thread website.
Framing your own needlework isn’t hard. I posted a tutorial here http://m.imgur.com/a/MEBaO
As for prepping it for framing, I wash by hand in a sink of lukewarm water with a bit of dishsoap. Let dry and then iron with steam, face down over a towel so you don’t crush the stitches.
I love the look of a professionally matted and framed specialty piece, but alot of framers don’t properly prep needlework, so even if I’m having it professionally framed, I’ll mount it myself.
I love the little baggies. No winding and it is easy to keep track of short usable pieces of thread. As for framing I have a couple of pieces that I framed with fabric and hung them as wall quilts. I just use straight pins or push pins in the corners. Creative yet lazy! But it works for me.