Earlier this week I was able to finish two needlepoint pieces. Both show what a little creative shopping and recycling can do.
The picture above is of a Planet Earth long credit card case. In it, you see an adorable Two Sisters canvas of three shifts. I bought this canvas a couple of years ago and used it as the front of a needlepoint wallet. Unhappily the glue on the wallet died and the needlepoint was coming off. I replaced that wallet with a new one, but I couldn’t bear to throw this piece away.
A lightbulb came on this week and I thought that it would fit this case. With a bit of trimming it did and now I have a pretty new case.
My second finish used the pansy from our Pixel Shading class (check out the last post tomorrow). I had bought this Framecraft cut crystal jar awhile ago on eBay.
For those who have not been stitching for decades, Framecraft was a British maker of jars with tops made to hold needlework. Most common were their glazed porcelain jars which came in oval and round in many colors and sizes. They also made beautiful wood jars. Top of the line were these cut crystal jars.
All frmecraft pieces came in gift boxes, and this one is especially nice — it has satin lining.
The Framecraft lids are easy to finish and they always include a backing piece so the finished result is very elegant.
I just love the way it looks! I thin k something like this would make such an elehany bridal shower or wedding present.
My strategy for finding finishing items is simple. I look for the items I like on eBay, at guild auctions, and on sale and buy them whenever I can. Right now on my desk I have a Sudberry clock, a set of Planet Earth coasters, and 8 Melissa Prince acrylic coasters waiting to be finished. There’s more in boxes in the garage and in my studio. This is why I have finishing “fits” where I fiish a bunch of items.
On my to do list for the next few daus is to go through my stash of stitched pieces to find some more things to finish because I have some big items I’d like to get into the world.
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
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