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 :)

Matting Makeover

A great way to get a new look and feel in your art AND save a bunch of money is just change the mats and/or frame. If you have wisely chosen art that you LOVE you won't want to get rid of it...but we do tend to update our homes and color trends change in our furniture and wall color. Don't be afraid to make you art and investment. If you love something and it's expensive remember that over the life span it's worth doing the more expensive fabric mat vs. the paper mat because the depth and richness is WORTH it. The bigger/fatter/tastier frame is WORTH it. DON'T go cheap on your glass, it will protect the image for YEARS!! Conservation or museum glass will keep your image from fading and discoloring over time...it's the difference of a few years or 50+ years...it's WORTH it!!

Guess what....you are WORTH it and it doesn't make your art expensive...it makes it priceless!!

Jersey Shadowboxes

I just picked up three football jerseys to frame....Ocho Cinco, Drew Brees, and Adrian Peterson. They are all signed and have authenticity papers, but the Adrian Peterson jersey also came with a photograph of him signing the jersey. Very cool because you could see the signature and could tell it was THAT SHIRT...pro football player, big diamond earrings....but the funny part was he was signing it in someones kitchen and it looked like one of those bad 4-plexes over on the southwest side of Provo that 100 years ago I actually lived in. Bad fake oak cabinets and cheap stove...I was thinking "hurh?"....is this some black mail scam someone has Peterson over a barrel on??....you would think a major Pro player would have some 500 sq ft man-cave-office to be signing his jerseys in???

Never the less I love framing these, it's hard not to put on the jersey and take my pic wearing them before I start on the framing.....no....I've....never.....done.....that! ;) Okay maybe just the Michael Jordan's college jersey with the championship bracket embroidered on it that he signed from the winning game!!

MLK Continued...

So the artwork got picked up today from the shop and I'm hoping someone with an even better camera than mine (which will be hard to do 'cause I got an amazing one for Christmas) will take some shots of the artwork hung...I'm hoping to find time to go there and take a look up close and personal!!

Today I picked up a wristband and ticket to last weeks SLN with Charles Barkley from my great friend Chris S.. The trade is now in my favor the sport bike rental!! The O Jerusalem was picked up and my customer LOVED it. I also delivered the 7' x 1' panorama frame to Kenny for his customer...it was a great day!!

Ahem....*tap tap tap* "Is this thing on??"

This is it!! Day one of my new venture to tell the world about what I do, give advice, show tricks of my trade, and hopefully expand my circle of friends and customers. This week we were frantically trying to get a rush order out for UVU. Artwork for their SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.COMMEMORATION. http://www.uvu.edu/hass/mlk/ We didn't know we had the go ahead until the day I left for vacation. Allison from UVU brought in the artwork on Tuesday the 5th...the moulding arrived the 6th...and the next three days were spent chopping, nailing, and assembling like mad women. Project finished Friday morning @ 11am, we made the due date. Allison wasn't able to find anyone to sign the check!!...so...now it's Saturday...will they be picked up?? Photos to be posted soon!