This forum has been pretty dead for quite awhile now!!If you want your question answered,go to www.123stitch.com. You'll get more help and good information there than you will ever be able to use.Yo.. have to register,but it's free and very active.I'm a member there for 12 years now.
Kathi

So did you get any answer?? I frame my own or make them into pillows,wall hangings,cubes etc.There are a lot of free tutorials on line.Just be sure to wash,and iron your pieces before framing,and let them dry a day or so after the ironing to make sure there is no dampness left in them.
Kathi

I have been cross stitching since I was 7 years old--a looonnng time ago. The problem with inexperienced framers is that they will sometimes put stitchery on a glue board. That is a huge no-no!

I have mine professionally framed by a cross stitch store but I have had Michael's do one or two of mine. I was happy with their work.You can also send your pieces away to cross stitch stores to have them done. If you would like a few names of stores that do this let me know.

Linda

How would you go about washing a completed piece? Gently wash it in the sink? Me thinks a machine wash would be too harsh, no matter how delicate the cycle.

First make sure your fabric and threads are colorfast and washable. Then gently lower into lukewarm sudsy water. I have used clear dishsoap in the past. Squeeze the suds through and rinse thoroughly. Squeeze dry; do not wring. Lay between towels and press out more moisture. Lay flat to dry.

BTW-if your piece is not dirty you do not have to wash it. I haven't washed a piece in years.

Linda

Linda gave you great advice on cleaning your piece. That is essentially how I did it when I was making cross stitch pieces. I've been doing more knitting and crocheting these last few years. How I framed a piece depended a lot on the piece and it's intended use. If the piece is very small, I have sometimes just stretched it over a piece of stiff cardboard that would fit in the frame I chose for the piece and either taped it on the back side or used a needle and thread to pull the edges together. My favorite way was to keep the piece on the stretcher bars I used while stitching and find an appropriate frame (at Michael's) that was made specifically to fit stretcher bars. Just pushed them into the back of the frame. I don't know if those types of frames are even available anymore.

I get frames at yard sales,garage sales and thrift stores.I also tole paint,so I always have paints to use if I want to paint the frame or mat board.I always wash my stitching.a drop of dish liquid,i use dawn,ans some lukewarm water,slosh it around,and rinse it very well with cool water,place it in a towel to absorb excess water and roll the towel up.

Iron it face down on a towel,and I use a pressing cloth when I iron.

I have seen stitching that hadn't been washed,years after it was done,and you could see the persons fingerprints on the cloth the way they yellowed.I'm sure that person didn't keep her hands clean and lotion free when she stitched it,and it showed.

That piece was a piece one of my sisters friends had done for her.I took it all apart,washed and ironed it and put it back into a new hoop,which is what she had it in originally.

I don't expect my pieces to become heirlooms,but I want them to look nice while I or whoever I did it for enjoys it.
JMHO.
Kathi

The pieces that I stitch are complicated and usually contain heavy beading, and specialty threads. These cannot be washed and I would not trust them to a dry cleaners. I always wash my hands before and during stitching to eliminate the possibility of stains showing up years from now.

Linda

An off topic question, but has anyone encountered the problem of a sharpie marker getting dropped on the cross-stitch fabric leaving a large hideous mark that will not be covered up by the stitches? Yes that totally just happened to me. I tried soaking the area in bleach to no avail. I've heard nail polish remover & rubbing alcohol will remove permanent marker stains from fabrics. Anyone have experience with removing these kinds of stains?

Boy! Bummer. I know that hairspray removes permanent marker on hard surfaces, but fabric is going to be a touch one, because whatever method works will most likely be a liquid and that is going to make the marker bleed into the fabric even while it lightens the mark. I would make a deliberate mark on an area that won't be seen and then try several methods. Hope you can get the mark out.

I didn't think I'd have anything to add to this discussion, but about the sharpie - I'd stitch over it. You'd be surprised what you can cover (including wrong stitches, instead of ripping them out.)