norma's cross-stitch | art-loft-gallery-ltd

first you press . . .

then you measure… at least twice

I love that I have been entrusted with these wonderful hand-crafted pieces for framing. Norma is quite a stitcher - she even goes on weekend stitching retreats.

As you can see from the photos, Norma’s workmanship is impeccable - both front and back.

Unless a counted-cross stitch has been pressed by the stitcher to the point that there are no wrinkles when it comes in for framing, my first task is to press the piece. I prefer to use a dry iron, no steam. Once the fabric cools, I will on occasion press a second time.

Then it's time to measure...

A true diehard watcher of “This Old House,” I learned long ago, measure twice, cut once - acid-free foamcore - that is.

I have even measured 3 times, just to be certain.

Also, a quirk of mine: I always begin measuring at the 10 inch mark. I feel I get a much more accurate measurement.

I want you to note two things:

First, pressing is done on the backside of the fabric. I always place the fabric on a soft towel, face down, so that the threads are not crushed as I iron.

Secondly, this fabric has been tea/ coffee stained purposely. The staining offers an interesting color as well as another dimension to the needlework.

Because Norma chose to frame this needlework with no mats, I had to add a spacer to the inner lip (rabbet) of the frame. That spacer holds the fabric away from the glass. As a result the threads are not crushed and squished because of pressing against the glass.

The spacer (the dark black) sits in the rabbet of the frame and keeps the artwork, in this case needlework, away from the glass, which avoids crushing the threads.

Take a look at all the other needlework framing projects and the jersey.

Watch for more in the coming days.