Framing Ideas for Cross Stitch

!±8± Framing Ideas for Cross Stitch

These days the choices for framing your beautiful cross stitch artwork are limitless! Here are some ideas below, which work especially well with small or sampler pieces.

Picture albums often have a small opening on the cover, allowing you to place a picture there. Instead of a picture, slip in your cross stitching masterpiece and pass your photo album around with pride!

Hoop frames are also great to use and come in a variety of shapes (circle, oval, heart, etc). They are easy to decorate by trimming with lace, which adds a personal touch. You can often buy hoop frames with no glass, allowing you to add decorations directly onto the cross stitched piece. One example would be to take a wedding announcement and glue dried or silk flowers to the aida cloth. Add one hoop frame, trimmed with lace, and you have a treasured piece to remember for all times.

Shadow boxes are a great alternative to traditional picture frames. A shadow box is like a picture frame, but has about one inch of space between the glass and the frame. It allows you to put in that something extra, such as mementos or collectibles. It also helps to enhance your cross stitch artwork - for example, if you have cross stitched a scene at the beach, put some seashells or small pieces of stone at the bottom of the shadow box. Even non-cross stitchers will admire your work!

Picture frames still make a great framing option. Plus, it has the added benefit of protecting your hard work from the elements in your house, such as dust and pet hair. Umbra has a great selection of frames - both traditional and unique designs. A unique frame can also save you the work of having to put a mat around a piece. Can't find a frame you like? Then buy a plain picture frame and decorate it with scrap booking embellishments. These embellishments can be rubbed on, self adhesive, glued on, etc. Want to save a little money? Then glue beads or other decorations onto the frame.

Small or sample patterns are great to sew directly onto a pillow, napkin, tablecloth or as a Christmas decoration. Another great idea for sample patterns is to use them to make drawstring pouches. The beauty of drawstring pouches, is that they can be any size or shape that you need them to be. They make great gifts that are beautiful as well as practical.

Framing Ideas for Cross Stitch

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Decorate in Historic Style With Family Heirlooms

!±8± Decorate in Historic Style With Family Heirlooms

For many people, the past holds significance so strong and special; they do not want to let it go. Mementos of eras before their own time, especially when they have family or sentimental significance, are all some folks need to create an "heirloom" home decor that speaks of deeply treasured keepsakes.

Tastefully decorating a home with family heirlooms doesn't mean that everything has to be a 50-years-or-older antique. Whether it's a child's painting from kindergarten last year or grandmother's prized china clock, it's the way that the items are selected and arranged that makes them priceless.

For example, one of the finest heirlooms someone could have would be a set of oriental rugs. This is a general category for kinds of rugs that have been made for decades in places such as Turkey, Iran (formerly Persia), India and China. Oriental rugs typically are made from long-last wool, woven by hand in brilliant colors and stunning patterns. One of the reasons that many of these rugs are worth thousands of dollars by the time they are handed down is because collectors believe that rugs such as these are at their finest when they've reached a minimum of 40 years old. Having an oriental rug to serve as a room's focal point would be the ultimate in heirloom decorating.

From the sublime point of an oriental rug, inherited handcrafts such as braided rugs, quilts and crocheted and knitted afghans are textile arts from a different perspective. These works represent hours of loving care from their makers, who created them partly for the satisfaction of making something beautiful and partly for practical considerations to keeping off the cold. Thus they can serve a dual purpose. Anyone lucky enough to have several quilts or afghans from talented relatives can change them out as the seasons change. A cedar chest handed down from another relative would be the ideal place to store these beauties.

Needlework such as needlepoint, crewel, embroidery and counted cross-stitch can provide masterpieces of craft from previous generations. Pieces such as samplers that mark weddings or births could find an honored place on walls or shelves. Embroidered pillows, needlepoint pillows and chair cushions, even bell pulls to hang on the walls would provide unique decorations for an heirloom theme.

Family photos offer another way to commemorate the past. Rather than hanging the photos randomly, try to create a certain theme with them, such as family vacations or Christmas celebrations. Black and white photos from years gone by are some of the most distinctive photo decorations for an heirloom theme. Whether gathered together in a large wall montage, or scattered throughout the home, family photos are sure to be a conversation starter for many guests.

In the end, what constitutes an "heirloom" is a very subjective choice. While professional antiques dealers might look down upon a Christmas poem that a son or daughter wrote and illustrated, that same verse, when matted, framed and hung on a wall, is a treasure greater than jewels to a family. Cookbooks published long before the age of food processors and microwaves may seem archaic, but with Grandmother's notes written in the margins, they're more precious than gold.

Choose your heirlooms for the value of their connections and display them with honor. And don't forget that you can still create new family keepsakes. With a combination of old and new, your heirloom theme is sure to be truly one of a kind.

Decorate in Historic Style With Family Heirlooms

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Cross Stitching Tips

!±8± Cross Stitching Tips

Cross stitching is such a fun and rewarding craft that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. Below you'll find some helpful hints and tips on how to improve your cross stitch projects.

Tip 1: Wash your hands every time before you begin stitching. You should always have very clean hands when working your design. Oils from the skin can easily be passed on to cross stitch cloth and this can create stains that are difficult to remove. Keep your work clean between each sewing session.

Tip 2: Oversew the edges of the fabric to prevent it from fraying. This can be done in a number of ways including machine sewing using zig zag stitch, taping the edges with masking tape (best to only use this method if you will be cutting off the excess fabric around your design, as the tape can leave marks and can be hard to remove) or you can use a commercially produced liquid that is specifically developed for this purpose.

Tip 3: Work in an embroidery hoop or frame where possible. This keeps your fabric taut and makes stitching easier. Remember to remove the hoop after each session so that it does not mark the fabric.

Tip 4: Keep all the top stitches angled in the same direction. It is extremely important that all stitches face the same way, unless the instructions say otherwise. Choose a direction for the first row and do not change it. It has no importance the direction you choose. It is important to maintain consistency.

Tip 5: Do not allow twists to develop in the thread. This problem can be alleviated by turning your fabric upside down, with needle and thread hanging down from it. The thread will naturally untwist itself.

Tip 6: Do not jump thread across the back of the fabric. Work in small sections and finish off the thread so that the back stays neat. Trailing the thread across a large number of stitches on the back of your design can lead to it showing through to the front.

Tip 7: Trim all finished thread ends neatly, keeping them close to the fabric.

Tip 8: Only cut cross stitch thread with embroidery scissors.

Tip 9: Do not use knots to start or finish a thread. Using knots will cause unsightly, bulky bumps on your fabric.

Tip 10: Work in good light and check your work frequently against the chart. This will ensure you will not make any mistakes.

Tip 11: Never fold your work. You should always roll the fabric in order to avoid creases that are hard to remove.

Tip 12: Iron your finished cross stitch face down on a thick, white towel to prevent crushing of the stitches.

The cross stitch tips listed above may be useful to beginner and advanced cross stitchers.

Cross Stitching Tips

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