While I’m on the “thankful” post, thank you all for the kind comments about the first piece I framed. I’m really pleased with both of these and I’m telling you . . it is not hard! The lacing might make me say bad words. You start out with a piece of thread that’s at least a mile long. It can get hung up on EVERTHING! Buttons on your clothes, the arm of the chair, the corner of the table, the placemant, the pins that aren’t even poking out. If Denise was my neighbor, which I think she should be, it would be easier. Someone to hold the extra thread so it doesn’t get knotted around itself or something else would be so much easier. There has to be some kind of gizmo I can use. While framing this second piece, I kept saying . . professional frames who di this all day every day have to have a better way! Someone . . tell me a better way.
The good news is that once I get caught up on the framing, I’ll do each piece as I finish it (right!) and won’t have several to do at once.
Anyway . . piece #2, Always Thankful by Erica Michaels, has now been framed.
Like most everything we do, the second one went a heck of a lot faster than the first one did.
I only bought one little ball of the perle cotton for framing and I don’t know that I have enough left to do two pieces pieces, A Big Red House and the marriage piece but I’m going to see and I will order more perle cotton.
Joyce says
Another lovely finished piece of art!
Dottie Newkirk says
I’ve looked at some of the needlework pieces my mother had framed YEARS ago and none of them have the lacing on them. It makes sense to lace them so that they stay taut, just never saw that before. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Laura Deaver says
Way back when I did cross stitch, I taped the fabric to cardboard. I like your way much better. Could you put a needle in each end? Might make that long thread easier to handle.
Judy Laquidara says
Not quite sure how that would help but to answer the question, I’m sure I could put a needle in each end but then I’d be working toward the center??
Laura Deaver says
I’m not sure either since I’ve never done it! I thought if you had two needles and started from the middle and worked out, at least you wouldn’t have such long threads to handle. Oh well, just an idea!
Judy Laquidara says
I pin the piece along the edge of the foamcore so there’s no need to start in the middle. I watched four videos before starting and none of those started in the middle but the next four I watch . . they may start in the middle. If I do a rather large piece, I may do it that way but for the small ones, I haven’t. Even on the small ones I did today, I didn’t have enough thread to go all the way across without knotting and adding more thread.
Jill McCaughey says
Your cross stitching is turning out lovely, congratulations. Judy, I would do a zigzag “stay stitch” close to the raw edge to prevent fraying while you yank on it,.then stitch with the thread just inside that line to keep it straight . might want to use Fray check to prevent ravelling, too. Then when you are threading the back there won’t be loose ends, at least. Have you thought about going to your closest thrift store to pick up Perl’s cotton, or heavier crochet cotton to use? Saves the cardboard that Amazon just loves to over-use?!! I am appalled at the wastage and lack of recycling that I’ve seen lately. Jill in Calgary/Phoenix. Jillmccaughey at shaw dot ca
Judy Laquidara says
It’s all been serged. No raveling.
Sorry but I figure the gas it takes me to get to the thrift stores, as well as the exposure to covid that’s ranging in my area is well worth the wasted cardboard. We just moved and I’m sure an entire forest was destroyed for the boxes we had to buy to pack. That’s life . . I save where I can but some things are worth it to me. I think you can focus on cardboard or you can consider that I haven’t been on an airplane in close to 20 years, I fill my car up once every four to six week, the entirety of our electricity comes from solar panels and . . ordering from Amazon and receiving it in a cardboard box doesn’t both me enough to risk my life by going out right now.
Carolyn says
Both have turned out lovely, Judy! Back in the day when I did cross stitch and framed my own stuff, I used to just tape the fabric down on the back of the cardboard I used. that was when we didn’t know any better! I just framed an embroidery piece in a hoop for my daughter and laced it…what a nightmare that was trying to get it to stay round and smooth! Your frames are beautiful, if I ever do my Santa piece from 1998, I’ll have to order a frame from that place!
Judy Laquidara says
I’m sure doing a rectangle on cardboard is much easier than doing something round. I can tell you I am not known for my patience.
Teri says
Another beautiful piece! Love it.
Julie Tesi says
It looks professionally framed to me!
Judy Laquidara says
Yay! That’s great to hear.
Denise Russart says
Another beautifully framed stitch!
Susan Quinn says
Judy, there is an excellent video on you tube by John Turner called Lacing Needlework. He shows how to lace without cutting your thread and he also shows how to hold the thread as you’re tightening it. I thought it was an excellent video and it has helped me a lot. He has a part 2 video as well and that one is a shorter video. BTW, your framed pieces are gorgeous! ?
Judy Laquidara says
Thank you. I’ll find it and watch it.