Stretching and Mounting Cross Stitch
Stretching and Mounting Cross Stitch
Your cross stitch will look its best if it is stretched and mounted. When mounting small cards or novelty projects, you can use double-sided adhesive tape, but it is worth taking more time and effort on larger projects.
Many framed cross stitch designs are mounted using a polyester wadding (batting) to create a padded finish. The advantage of this is that any slightly lumpy bits on the back of your work will be pushed into the padding rather than appear as raised areas on the front. The padding also raises the embroidery, displaying it with a much better effect.
Mounting Cross Stitch
To stretch and mount cross stitch, you will need either acid-free mounting board or lightweight foam board or foamcore.
Step 1: using a sharp craft knife, cut a piece of foamcore board to fit your frame – an easy way to do this is to cut around the piece of glass that fits the frame.
Step 2: Trim the wadding (batting) to the same size as the foamcore and attach it to the foamcore using double-sided tape. Position your embroidery on top of the padding and centre it carefully on the board. Fix the embroidery in position by pinning through the fabric into the edges of the board. Start in the middle of each side and pin towards the corners, making sure your pins follow a line of Aida holes or a linen thread so that the edges will be really straight.
Mounting Cross Stitch
Step 3: Turn the work over, leeaving the pins in place, and trim the excess fabric to about 2 inches (5 cm) all round.
There are three methods of attaching needlwork to a board before framing:
- Pin the work to a coverd board and stitch in position.
- Pin the work to the edge of the board and secure with double-sided tape.
- Pin the work to the board and lace across the back with strong linen thread.
If pinning your work to a covered board, the embroidery must be centred and stretched evenly because any wobbles will show when the design is framed. Measure the board across the bottom edge and mark the centre with a pin. Match this to the centre of the bottom edge of the embroidery and, working outwards from the centre, pin through the fabric following a line of threads until all four sides are complete.
You can now either stitch through the needlework to the covered board and lace the excess material across the back or stick it in place with double-sided tape.
Recommended Reading
Looking for a good book to read? If your looking for a great reference book to help you out with answers to your cross stitching questions, or maybe your just looking for a present to give that loved one who is mad about cross stitch. Then head over to our books page where we have compiled a list of great books that no serious cross stitcher should be without.