It's that week in the month when I share a tutorial for using one of the ten Rosedaisy Designs I released recently. My choice for July is the "Friend" block...
I chose to border the 'Friend" block using fabric which allowed the design to shine by giving it contrast, and finished the display with a white wooden frame that was quite distinctive and yet didn't overpower the stitchery. I think my design, the fabric (Primrose Sands) and the frame (from Target) all worked beautifully together!
As crafters we usually show love and appreciation to a friend with a gift we've made them, and that was the inspiration behind this design.
But the inspiration behind how to use this stitchery came from a number of reader emails asking, "how do you frame a stitchery?" - so I thought it was time I showed them.
Now, I'm going to do double duty on this blog post because I want to share a second framing tutorial...
Let's start!
This tutorial works with any block you have stitched that you'd like to display in a frame. When I prepare an embroidery design ready to stitch it's always a few inches larger than the size of the actual design area, so if you are not intending to add a border around your block be sure to cut your fabric at least 4" larger than the design - for example, a 5" x 7" design would require a 9" x 11" piece of fabric.
I designed my new stitchery, Love Gives, to fit inside an ornate metal lacework frame I'd purchased a few months back.
The frame was marked to fit a 4" x 6" photo, but when framing an embroidery it's important to note that the aperture of the frame (the area of frame that is seen when a photo or stitchery is placed inside) is usually always a quarter inch smaller.
This meant that the useable area I had in this particular frame was 3 3/4" x 5 3/4".
(When I displayed "Friend" in an 8" x 10" frame I had 7 3/4" x 9 3/4" of useable area)
For a 'whole cloth' display:
After I traced the design onto my fabric I measured the size of the aperture in my frame, before fusing a piece of Parlan the same size behind the design. After the design was embroidered the process of framing could be started:
Fold a small hem around the raw edges and sew in place...
Cut a piece of medium weight cardboard the same size as the glass in your frame.
Dispose of the glass carefully afterwards.
Lay it over the back of your stitchery and centre it...
You will now need some sturdy thread or thin string. I've used Perle #12 thread from my stash...
Fold the two long sides towards the centre of the cardboard, and after making a knot in the end of your thread and securing it in the hem of one side, begin to lace the thread up and down between both hemmed edges. Start from the end of the cardboard, not the end of the fabric...
Don't pull so hard that you bend the cardboard, just enough that it is snug. You may have to tie off the thread and start with a fresh length one or two times as this technique uses a fair amount...
Turn your stitchery around and begin the lacing from the narrow sides.
Now because these narrower ends have more bulk, from the double hem when folded, they can slide a little and distort the finished appearance, so lace the left side first, leave the centre open, and lace the right side next...
Finish by lacing the middle last...
Place your prepared embroidery inside the frame...
...and replace the frame backing.
Beautiful!
Beautiful!
Now for a "bordered" display:
When framing "Friend" I added borders, so I trimmed the block to 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" after stitching.
To save on feature fabric I only used the amount that would be seen through the aperture plus an extra 1/2 inch - then I sewed white homespun around all four sides as this would be hidden afterwards...
I fused some thin Pellon, the same size as the frame aperture, behind the block, and then hand sewed a row of running stitch around the white edge of the design just inside the pink border...
To show another finish for framing your work I quickly put this one together with masking tape.
This requires no tutorial, as you can see that the edges are simply taped down onto the cardboard instead of being laced.
I do prefer the laced method as it gives a lovely snug fit to the block, but it's best used if this framing is a permanent display.
However, if you regularly switch designs around in a particular frame, the masking tape technique would be the easiest and least destructive to the borders as you don't have to remove the cord laces from the back.
Which framing method do you think you would use?
The pattern for "Love Gives" is available as an instant download here in my shop.
Enjoy!
hugs
