Stitch in time....

For all you nimble fingered, eye strained, weavers of art....this blog is for you!! I'm going to lay down a few ground rules of stitching for posterity with the end means of framing.

When purchasing your fabric remember to give at LEAST 1.5 inches of selvage for stretching and pinning PAST the image size...which means...your stitching image may be 5x7 and you want a 3/4" boarder of your linen showing before your matting begins (that adds up to 6.5 x 8.5) NOW tack on another 1 1/2 inches to each side for stretching and pinning purposes. 9.5 x 11.5 is the size of fabric you should begin to stitch with.

You can zig-zag or serge the edges so they don't fray....that's a nice touch to work with, BUT if you have 6" of excess Aida cloth we are going to trim it or you'll have a fat bump of fabric bulging out the dust paper backing. (*shudder*)

Remember when your piece has heavier side by side stitches in some areas and sparse or bare patches in others the tendency of the fabric is to pull and become tight which means it's harder to square up your piece when pinning it. Be consist ant in your stitch tension.

Embroidery hoops leave a mark!! Invest in some scroll frames.

We are framers not dry cleaners!! Please don't expect a pristine stitchery if you let your cat sleep on your stitching basket and every neighbor and family member man handle while ooooo'ing and ahhhhhh'ing over your hard work without washing their hands first. Launder it before you bring it in please.

And finally please...Please...PLEASE remember...you have spent countless hours on this piece, make it last, use conservation products when framing. Spend a little extra because your efforts are worth the rag mats and museum glass!!

P.S. We highly recommend you choose Beveled Edge Framing :)

Cuts like a knife....part II (eat your heart out Bryan Adams)

Box is made...lined with suede and harware inserted from the back...

hinge hardware is attached (holy moly that was a rough one)....uuuuurg.....uuuuug....pant, pant

Whew!!....it fits nicely!!

looking good so far...looking good...*holding breath*

........TA-DAAaaaaAAAaaaaa!!!

Don't you LOVE museum glass!!...you didn't even know it was there did you??

So I will sleep a little better having this rush job outta' the way!! And...Girl LOVED it!!

Break

I got an amazing camera for Christmas and when I get a little....little is the operative word here...smidgen of time I like to go out and about to shoot. There is a pond where waterfowl gather just a mile or so from my shop. Around the pond are varies trees, and when the inversion/fog moves in they get covered with frost. When the fog burns off and the sun hits them just right it's like being in the most vast diamond store...it's breath taking!! I especially love the weeping willows. I haven't gotten a day like that yet, but I did take some time to go shoot the birds and do a little jump session. My partner in crime for this outing is my neighbor Rick Smith who is quickly becoming well known in the jumping circles. I thought you all would like to see what is on the other end of all those amazing jump pics he masterfully captures!!

Cuts like a knife...

I'm not exactly sure of the whole story behind this knife but from what I could tell...Girl brings in knife to shadowbox for a Valentine's gift for her fiance. Knife was made by someone very close to Fiance and has a lot of sentimental value. Fiance likes to show knife off so Girl wants the knife to be removable. Hmmmmmm...... so, I'm building a shadowbox where the rabbet will be the back of the box and will hold the weight of the knife then I'll build a separate frame the exact outside dimensions as the shadowbox and hinge it will a piano hinge. The box will be lined with suede as close to the same color as the knife scabbard as I can get it. Between the suede and the backing (I think I'll use peg board, light yet sturdy) I'll hide a piece of hardware that I can manipulate just enough to poke a small part of it through the suede and use as a cradle to hold knife and scabbard.

Whew!!....here we go!!

TV Morning Antics

Well it was quite the morning. We were all there on time but the film crew was a little late...we were just beginning to wonder if they were gunna' bail when Mr. Casey Scott waltzed in all curly blonde hair under a baseball cap and grinning from ear to ear. Someone said his nickname is the "village idiot" awwwwwwe....he is almost like a lost puppy...

It was a lot of standing around for 3 hours and then one sided banter between Casey and the mic...we couldn't hear what Ron and Mary were saying in the studio??

We got a few phone calls even before the segment ended but one of them was Casey's stalker??!! YIKES!!...I think I'll stick to framing, thank you!!

I hope this will give the custom sports memorabilia a great kick start for 2010!! Thanks McGee's Stamp and Trophy for a great morning and next time let's get breakfast brought in!!