In my stash of finishing items, I have this little acrylic tray. Since I bought it at a guild auction I assume it is intended to finish needlework. All I have is what you see in the picture, the top of the tray and a bag with 8 plastic screws.
I figure that the needlepoint goes below the tray and that there was once a bottom for it. The screws fit into the holes in the tray bottom and must hold everything together. Now we get to the tough part. If I measure from the inside edges of the screws the space is about 4×6. If I measure the bottom, including the screws, the space is 7.5×5.25.
So how do you use needlepoint in it?
If I make the stitching to fit the inside measurement there is a big border of acrylic. That means to look nice, the acrylic bottom will need to be colored and opaque. Because there is a TAP Plastics nearby, this is not a problem.
If I make the needlepoint to fit the bigger dimensions. I don’t have that border, but I will have to figure out how to get the screws through the needlepoint. As you can see from the picture, the holes I’ll need are not small. Will doing this ruin the look of the needlepoint?
Once I figure these big problems out smaller ones loom. The screws being made out of a different plastic have discolored. Should I replace them with something obviously different, like brass screws? And what about the bottom of the tray? Do I make that acrylic thick enough that the screws won’t stick out? If they do or if I want to protect the holes, what do I put there?
Or should I just glue everything together with the needlepoint sandwiched inside and put something decorative over the screw holes?
Have you finished one of these? What do I do? What would you do?
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
I never saw this item before. It may be too much of a bother to try and use it for needlepoint. Just let it go! But, if that’s not an option, of the ideas you thought about, I would do the smaller piece and place something decorative above the screws. Attaching a colored felt to the outside of the bottom would add a border when seen from above. Good luck with whatever you decide.
I would just have a custom piece of heavy glass/acrylic cut to fit the inside of the tray
And lay it on top of the finished needlepoint. Forget the screws. Keep it simple and also easy to change out the design. Your local framer could cut a piece of glass.
came across an image on a blog – mentions Cooper Oaks, which seems to still be around. Maybe they can make your missing piece?
Look at these pages:
https://thepointofitallonline.com/idea-needlepoint-tray/
https://www.cooperoaksdesign.com/acrylic-accessories.html
That’s a good idea, I’ll write to them.
Keep stitching,
Janet