How to frame your cross stitch Tutorial

How to frame your needlework...

I know some will scoff that the way I frame my needlework, but this is the way I was taught by my Mom, years ago. I have some of my Mother's work that is almost as old as I am and it is still as beautiful today as it was years ago. Material List: Finished needlework piece, Frame, Spacers, Masking Tape, Iron and Board, Cutting Mat and Rotary Cutter. Step 1: Clean and press your finished cross stitch piece. I wash mine by hand with a gently soap, lay it flat to dry on a couple of towels. Then press with iron. *If you have bead work, charms, etc. place a towel on needlework then press with iron. Also if you have used overdyed thread on your piece, I would not wash it, the dye could bleed in the material. Step 2: Clean the glass in the frame and measure the frame. Then place spacers on the frame, remove the paper from the spacer and stick directly to the glass, as close to the frame as possible. *I place a ruler in the frame and cut the mat board to the measurements. Step 3: Cut mounting board on cutting mat with rotary cutter and straight edge. *I place the cutting mat on the floor, the mounting board on the mat and the straight edge where I need to cut. One knee and one hand holds the mounting board and straight edge in place, while I use the other hand to cut the mounting board with a rotary cutter. Step 4: Pill off the paper from the mounting board and place piece directly on the sticky side of the board. When placing the needlework on the board, place it lightly. If it is not centered you and gently pick it up and reposition it on the board again. Once you have the needlework centered on the mounting board, start at the center of the needlework and press it down and out to the edges of the mounting board. *You can use the lines in the material to place it straight on the board; aida material makes this much easier. Step 5: Cut off extra material from the needlework. Leave an 1 to 1 1/2 sticking out from the mounting board. Step 6: Put small pieces of masking tape on the cross stitch piece, pull gently holding the tape and tape to the back side of the mounting board. Repeat until you have the sides down, but leave the corners open. *If you get a bubble in the material between the tape, just add a small piece of tape to the bubble and gently tape it to the mounting board. Step 7: Clip the corners of the material. This will keep your corners looking nice and clean. Then tape then down. Step 8: Place needlework and mounting board into the frame. Step 9: Cut paper of the back and tape along the paper and the frame. This will keep the dust out of your frame. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please feel free to share it with other cross stitching friends.

Pin Keep Tutorial for Cross Stitch

Pin Keep Tutorial

Free tutorial on how to finish a pin keep with material showing on the front.

Hope you enjoy.

Hanging Tuck Tutorials

A few more free tutorials for cross stitch tucks...

Square Wall Hanging Tuck

Square Ornament Tucks with Ribbon

Rectangle Wall Hanging Tucks with Tabs

For those that may not know what a tuck is...
It is for displaying finished needlework, such as cross stitch.

Enjoy

Get Your Craft On

Pillow Tuck Tutorial

With the help of my friend Kim I can now offer my pillow tuck tutorials free!

Diamond Pillow Tuck

Rectangle Pillow Tuck

Square Pillow Tuck

Thanks Kim!

For those that may not know what a pillow tuck is...

It is a small pillow made for displaying finished needlework, such as cross stitch.

Tile Coaster & Hot Plate Tutorial

Items Needed

To make tile coasters and hot plates.

Tile - 4.25" x 4.25" coaster ($.16 each) and 6" x 6" for hot plates ($.40 each)
Mod Podge (I think was around $4.00 for the large bottle)
Tacky Glue (another $4.00)
Clear Glossy Vanish (can works better, around $3.00) Heat Resistance for Hot Plates
Scrapbook Paper or Photos ($.70)
Cork Sheet ($3.00)
Brushes ($1.00)

My first attempt was from other blogs and youtube videos. They said to use a lot of Mod Podge on the tile then work out the bubbles. They also said to do several coats of Mod Podge on top of the paper or photo. Then three coats of varnish on top of the Mod Podge.
Dara's coasters were my first run and you can see a lot of lines in the sealant.
Second attempt I put an even light coat of Mod Podge on the tile, I didn't have any problems with bubbles and it dried quick.
I did 5 layers of Mod Podge on top of the paper and did a light wet sand to try to get rid of the lines then 3 coast of vanish.

While working on my second attempt I realized that it was crazy to put on 5 coats of Mod Podge, sand then 3 coats of vanish on top of that. It was sealant on top of sealant.

I tried spray varnish first and it seem to work great on the first two attempts, but the third time I had bubbles in the varnish.

Finally I did it my way...

First clean tile with a damp cloth to remove any dust or dirt.

While tile is drying cut paper or photos. I cut my paper 4 by 4 inches for the small tile and for the larger tile 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.

Apply a thin even coat of Mod Podge on top of the tile using a sponge brush.

Place scrapbook paper or photo on top of the Mod Podge. Run your finger along the edges of the paper to make sure it seals to the tile. Wait 15 to 20 minutes to let it dry.

Glue cork sheet to the back of the tile, this will keep the tile from harming your furniture. I cut my tile the same size at the paper. I first tried hot glue, but it did not stick.

Apply varnish with brush. I put one layer across the tile, then one layer with strokes up and down the tile. (I felt I had much better control using the brush then when I used the spray, also a lot less fumes).

Wait 15 to 20 minutes between coats. I did 3 to 4 coats of varnish.

Once they are dry they are not done curing. So DO NOT STACK or use the tile yet, your glass or cup may stick to the tile. Let them lay flat for a day or two, before using or stacking.

This last little tit bit was not found in any one's blog or youtube, I learned this one on my own. ;)

Hot Plates

Everything is the same with the hot plates as the coasters, except you will need a varnish that can take the heat. I could not find a varnish in my small town that was heat resistance. So, my first attempt with the hot plates I tried engine paint. I put about 4 layers on each tile and they take 7 days to cure. Once they were cured I tired them out and it worked great!

But I left them on the kitchen counter top and when Bob (my hubby) did the dishes he put them in the dish water. This was not good, it did something to the varnish, I tried to put another layer on top, but when it dried it cracked the varnish.

I did notice as the hot plates cured they became yellow. I ordered a different heat resistance varnish I found on line, but I haven't tried it yet. I am waiting for it to get a little warmer in Northern Indiana, before I make more.

NOTE* Do not put these in your dishwasher or dish water. Just wipe clean with a damp cloth.

I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial, comments are always welcome.

Now listed at Today's Creative Blog.