Bailey Loves Flower Arranging

This is my first attempt to make my blog more personal. Since crafts of all kinds are of interest to me, I thought I would invite you to read about the little critter who sometimes helps me to create my projects.

Bailey is a female grey cockatiel and in my eyes a sweetie pie. Everyday we watch Ellen and I thought at first she was a big fan of Ellen, just like me. Little did I know, Bailey was using Ellen to distract me while she rearranged the flowers in my bay window. Bailey will call me to let me know it is 10:00 am and time to watch Ellen. Once Ellen is finished dancing, Bailey makes a break for the window.


Have you ever showed something you made to, lets say your mother, only to have her say, "well that is nice dear but you should have done it like this"? Well, I have had this happen to me but only to have Bailey first tell me she absolutely loves it. See the above picture of my attempt at flower arranging. Then to let me know in her own way that she wanted to tweek it a little bit, see picture below.


Now, I understand this was a lame attempt to make this little vignette but do you like Bailey's any better than mine? All I am saying is, it's all Ellen's Fault.

Mounting Needlework Using Rustproof Straight Pins

Okay you have worked for hours on your counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or the needlework of your choice and of course you want to mount and frame it correctly. You have checked your wallet, took a peek in your husband's wallet, recheck the addition and subtraction of your check book, looked in the kids piggy banks and there is little to nothing there. So this means that you cannot afford to have a framer professionally frame your work of art. Since you have gone through this much work and feel your counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or needlework deserves to be framed as closely to acid free as possible, let me tell you how and where to get the supplies you will need to mount and frame your project the right way.

I know for some of you the only way to mount a piece of counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or the needlework of your choice is by lacing. At one point I would have whole heartly agreed but with the new materials being introduced to the market today, it is no longer a must.

You can start by going to your local fabric store and purchase Dritz Rustproof Silk Pins. Do not be tempted to use any other straight pins that are not marked Rustproof. Over time, these pins will rust and ruin your fabric. Next you can either go to your local Frame Shoppe, Michael's Arts & Crafts, or Hobby Lobby's Framing Departments and ask for 3/16" thick Acid Free Foam Core Board. You need to have the exact size of the finished counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or needlework of your choice before you can make this purchase. To get the exact size you will need, take the size of the stitch image and then add how much fabric you would like showing all around the stitch image, I like to give myself at least1 extra inch on all sides. (Stitch Image= The amount of Xs Left/Right and Up/Down) By having an inch on all four sides, only 3/4" of the fabric will be showing all the way around the stitch image, because 1/4" of that inch will be under the lip of the frame. To these measurements, give yourself at least 3 inches of fabric on all sides to wrap around to the back side of the 3/16" thick Acid Free Foam Core Board. In framing the sizing is very important, because this will be the measurements of the mounting board and the inside measurements of the frame you will be using to frame your project. An example would be, your exact stitching image is 5 X 5" and you want 1" exposure on all four sides, this would give you a 7 X 7" measurement for your mounting board and the inside measurements for your frame. You will want to purchase at least a 13 X 13 piece of Aida, Lugana, Evenweave, Linen or the fabric of your choice to stitch your pattern. When you are ready to mount your needlework, you will have 3" of extra fabric to wrap around each of the four sides. So for this example, you will want to purchase a 7 X 7" piece of 3/16" thick Acid Free Foam Core Board, as well as, a frame with the same inside measurements. Since you cannot afford to have your needlework conservation framed, try to have the enviroment inside the frame as acid free as possible. Try your best to get acid free materials whenever you possibly can.


To start, make sure that you have your finished piece of counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or the needlework of your choice clean. If you are sure the threads you have used will not bleed, you can wash your project piece in cold water and Woolite. Make sure you rinse your needlework very well, let dry and press out the wrinkles. You will want to trim off all the lose threads on the back of your needlework before you mount and frame your project. If you are using a light fabric, these loose threads could possibly be seen through the front of your finished needlework.

Center your needlework back side down on the 3/16" thick Acid Free Foam Core Board. Stand the mounting board on its edge, wrap the fabric to the backside of the mounting board and place a Rustproof pin in the center of the edge of the foam core board, see picture.












Going from the center out to each edge, placed a pin every 1/4".
Now go to the opposite side and pull the fabric taut but not so tightly that you bend the board. Make sure your stitch image is centered. Place a pin in the center of the opposite side and again add a pin every 1/4" until you reach each edge of the board. Your fingers will probably get a little sore doing this, so you may want to get the pin started and then find what ever you can to push the pins all the way flush with the fabric. As you can see, I am using aida in the picture and it can handle the pin without going through the fabric. With some of the thinner fabrics, the head of the pin could go all the way through the fabric. On thinner fabrics do not push the pins too deeply into the foam core. While I was placing all those pins into my project, I was eating Ice Breakers Tropical candy and since it is a round plastic container I pushed the pins in with the edge of the container and rolled the pins in place. I was surprised how nicely it worked. Just an idea to help your fingers. Continue with the other two sides until you have your needlework mounted.














Turn the mounted needlework over to the backside and if there is excessive material you can take the pins and pin the fabric to mounting board back. Just slide them in at an angle, making sure you do not go all the way through to the front of your needlework. Your back will not look like mine because I was using a piece of mounting board I had cut for another project I did not get around to finishing. I seem to do that quite a bit.












Now that you are finished mounting your counted cross stitch, punchneedle, embroidery, stitchery or the needlework of your choice, you are ready to frame your needlework. You can find framing instructions on my blog. You can pat yourself on the back for taking the time to preserve your heirloom for future generations. Happy Stitching!
www.homecraftframing.com

Mounting and Framing Primitive Stitchery

Let me start by saying, this style of mounting and framing should only be done with items of stitchery that you do not mind if these pieces of needlework loses its' looks over time. That being said, since primitive stitchery has had the cloth and or threads treated with a variety of staining agents, ie...coffee, tea, vanilla or Distress It, this mounting technique will not harm the primitive look over time.












Supplies Needed

Piece of finished Primitive Stitchery, punch needle, counted cross stitch or needlework of Choice.
Press-on Mounting Board (sticky mounting board matching the size of your pressed needlework).
Pen/Pencil.
Ruler.
Glazier Points.
Flat Head Screw Driver.
Double Stick Tape.
Sawtooth Hanger (2 Nails).
Cardboard Backer (sized to the inside measurements of the frame).
Dust Cover (paper grocery bag, wrapping paper or paper of your choosing).
Hammer (I forgot to put the hammer in the picture, sorry).
Scissors (I forgot the scissors in the picture as well).

Mounting

Press the primitive stitchery, punch needle, counted cross stitch or the needlework of your choice, that you will be placing on the Press-On Mounting Sticky Board. You can purchase Press-On Mounting Board @ Joann's Fabrics, Hobby Lobby or purchase it online @ http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat3270&PRODID=prd2672 . For the money, the best value is the 16 X 20 size. Out of the 16 X 20 size, you can get four 8 X 10 pieces, eight 5 X 7 pieces and a variety of other sizes by cutting the mounting board yourself. Getting the Press-On Mounting Boards from Joann's Fabric online, the purchase of three boards plus shipping was economical. If you have a friend to split the cost of shipping, it would even be more cost friendly.

Remove the cover paper (it has red printing on it) and center your primitive stitchery on the sticky side of the mounting board. Press the center of the fabric to the board, adjusting the primitive stitchery until it is smooth and centered all the way around the four sides. When you are happy with the way the primitive stitchery looks on the sticky mounting board, use your hands to press the fabric firmly to the mounting board. If you should have extra fabric hanging off the sides of the sticky mounting board, you can use the scissors to trim off the excess fabric. Now your primitive stitchery, punch needle, or counted cross stitch is ready for framing.















Framing

Remove the back board from the frame and if using glass on your primitive stitchery only, clean the glass. Needlework that has not been treated to have the primitive look, I would not put behind glass unless you have a mat or some kind of spacer in front of the fabric. Place your mounted primitive stitchery, punch needle, counted cross stitch or the needlework of your choosing in the frame and replace the backer board.



An easy way to hold your primitive stitchery in place is by using glazier points. You can get these at your favorite hardware store. Set the glazier point (flat side down) with the point aiming at the inside edge of the frame. Use a flat head screw driver and with steady pressure, push the point into the side of the frame until the two metal guards are touching the wood. Do this on all four sides to secure your primitive stitchery. On small framed stitchery example 3 X 3 to 5 X 7 you will need to use only one on each side to hold your primitive stitchery. On larger needlework pieces you can judge how many glazier points you would like to place on each side of the frame.

To give your framed primitive stitchery a finished look, select the style of paper you wish to use for a dust cover. Take the frame and lay the frame back side down on the paper and trace the outline of the frame. Take your scissors and cut on the inside of the line until you have the dust cover cut out. Place double sided tape along all four sides of the frame. Try to use enough tape to cover the entire length of each side. Place the dust cover on the back of the frame and carefully press it down. Just a little tip, never paint the back side of your frame, with the heat and humidity in every one's home, in time the paint can adhere itself to your wall or wallpaper and leave a paint mark.

To finish your primitive stitchery piece of art, center a sawtooth hanger on the back of the frame, then measure the center of the frame and and place a mark. You will center the sawtooth hanger by locating the raised dot in the center of the hanger itself. Put the nails in the sawtooth hanger and you now have successfully mounted and framed your primitive stitchery.













http://www.homecraftframing.com/

Determining the Size of Frame You Need

The majority of the time if you are looking for a frame size, the size of the frame will be determined by the size of the artwork you will be framing. Example, an 8 X 10 photo would be put into an 8 X 10 frame. This would be considered the inside measurements of the back of the frame opening, not the front opening. This information would be the same for custom order frames as well. You need to measure the length and width of the item being framed before purchasing a frame, so you do not have a frame that does not fit your artwork. This happens more often with custom frames.

If you have a small item or photo and want a larger frame presence on your wall, you can mat the item and place it in a larger frame or purchase a frame that has a wider moulding size. When matting a picture or artwork you, will want to use the overall size of the mat to determine the size of the frame you will need.

When framing needlework you will want to have your needlework piece mounted before you purchase a frame. The size before mounting is not the same as the stretched size. Some pieces of needlework needs to be stretched over stretcher bars or stretching strips. Some needlework needs to be laced while others are mounted to a sticky board. Any of these mounting techniques will depend on what kind of needlework you have and will determine what kind of frame you will need. Measure the size of the mounted needlework in order to determine the correct frame size.

www.homecraftframing.com

When Is Acid Free Framing Not A Must?

I have recently pulled out my stash of unframed cross stitch and punchneedle pieces. It occurred to me, that antiquing the cloth regardless of the method, the ph stability of the needlework has changed forever. Keeping this in mind, you will want to still conserve the art work the best you can. If at all possible, avoid putting the needlework under glass.

For those of you who like to extremely antique your primitive stitchery, you can use the sticky board to mount your needlework. Since the Extreme Primitive look is what you are after, the sticky mounting board and glass will only add to the look over time.

Since I am not quite sure what ingredients are in the product call Distress It, I would use it on pieces of needlework you would not mind if they are not conservation framed. What a great product for some of the DMC threads that may be too bright for your taste. Go ahead and cross stitch or punchneedle your pattern with the thread you are going to distress. Spray a good amount of Distress It to saturate the threads on the cloth and let dry. If you want it darker, repeat until you get the look you want.

http://www.homecraftframing.com/

Framing Tips

I realize how costly framing can be, but keep in mind that the item you are working on is in progress of becoming a family heirloom. Great Care should be given to any piece of needlework. In the event custom framing is impossible, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Never use any spray adhesives regardless of what others may have done. The damage is not always noticeable right away but in short time it will be.

Stretching is always the best method and on acid free foam core or rag mat. If you are a do it yourselfer, there are places like Michaels Arts and Crafts where you may purchase these items. For those of you who feel this is still too expensive, then I recommend using Presson Board. Although, I would advise not using glass to cover your work.

This next tip may add a little extra life to your needlework if; every year you take apart your needlework, remove it from the Presson Board, and wash it in Woolite. It would not hurt to take the sweeper attachment and run it lightly over your needlework when you sweep.

Never hang any artwork over heat sources, such as fireplaces, heat and air vents.
Avoid hanging valuable pieces of art on outside walls. These walls are where the temperature and humidity fluctuates causing condensation.

Keeping that in mind, Kitchens and Bathrooms are rooms where the temperature and humidity fluctuates greatly. This in turn can cause paper art to wrinkle and needlework to get moldy.
This next tip is a killer to many decorators. Once you paint or wall paper, do not hang any art work for at least two weeks. Although, your walls may be dry to touch, drywall and plaster holds in moisture that is not noticeable.

Avoid hanging art in direct sunlight or direct ultra violet sources, such as, fluorescent lighting.

Never spray cleaner directly on glass, spray the towel then clean the glass. The cleaner can run down under the glass into the rabbet where your artwork lives and destroy it.

Check your book collection once a year for insects, they do not know the difference between a book and valuable work of art. To them, paper is paper.

Smoking does not do anyone any good and it reeks havoc on art work. If you cannot kick the habit, then kick the smoker outside. Your art work will love you for it.

According to Larson Juhl Framing School, the average height to hang most art is 5’ 7".

When having important art pieces framed, ask about conservation framing. It insures the item framed will be protected from acid which will yellow and eventually destroy the art work. Something to keep in mind if you do have something conservation framed. If you do not follow the above tips, you are also wasting your money, and the piece of art you just had framed.
Some of you are thinking, where can I hang anything? On the walls that have vents, outside walls, kitchen or bath, this is where you hang the pictures you purchased from your favorite Mart store.

Lean your shoulder to the wall, or the fireplace. Now with a sideways glance, look at the picture you had hanging there for years. Can you see the wrinkles?

Something to remember, if you took the time and care to create a work of art, then you will want to treat it like, a work of art.

www.homecraftframing.com