My Creative Space

... or how to frame a cross-stitch the cheapskate way!

My creating took on a new project today - or not so new.  I've had these cross-stitch pictures for over 10 years, hidden away in a box.  The cost of framing has always put me off, but I am a great believer in not paying somebody to do something I could do myself, so here goes:  (do not read any further if you are a cross-stitch/framing purist, the following may make you faint)

Materials used:
Ready-made frame $4.99
Mount $3.95
Board $2.50

I used boards which are used for acrylic painting, they are sold in newsagencies/stationers and are acid free, so they shouldn't discolour your stitching over time.  Cut board to size with a box cutter - be very careful!  And use a mat to protect the table!  Position the board centrally over the reverse side of the piece of fabric and fold edges over to back of board.  (Make sure your work has been pressed -  use a gentle steam setting and place the piece upside down on top of a towel so that the stitches don't get squished).

Thread a needle with a long piece of strong thread (I used quilting thread) and sew back and forth in a zig zag across the board - I did this five times to give a nice even tension to the stitched fabric.  If the fabric is long enough to fold over the ends, repeat the procedure.  If you leave long ends on the threads, it means you can a tie a double knot for security.

You'll have to keep testing to see where the stitching lies in the frame - I had to wriggle the picture up over the board a few times, smidgen by smidgen until it was centralized in the mount.

Put the frame together - mount, picture, backboard - and you're done!  I did use framer's tape on the back of one picture as the layers altogether were quite thick and the fasteners wouldn't bend over the back board!  But I think you'll agree, although done on the cheap - less than $15 per picture - they look pretty good.  And it sure beats being shut away in a box, never being looked at ...

... and one more thing, I also learned it's probably a good idea to store your stitching flat - trying to iron out 10+ year old folds is not easy ...

So that's my creative space for this week - click here to go and view others!