Lacing Done

As practice, I started lacing and mitring fabric onto a foam board that you can read about in a previous post here. It was the first time I used the foam board recommended by the framing shop. 

As the lacing and the mitres would be at the back of a piece of embroidery, the mitres don't have to look perfect. What bothered me, though, were the two little ears of bulk at the corners when I started to draw the mitred join together. 

I found there is no easy way to fold that little bit of extra fabric out of the way because of the thickness of the board. So in the end, I put in a few extra stitches to pull it together tightly around the point at the corner. 

I'd love to hear from you if you have any comments or suggestions about this.

'Till next time, happy stitching!

A Closing Down Sale

It's very sad to learn of an embroidery shop that is having a closing down sale. 

Di van Niekerk of Dicraft, South Africa has had a small embroidery shop for many years. Di designs and produces embroidery kits, ribbons and printed panels, but this popular little business now has been much affected by the US import tariffs instituted last year. You can read more about it in Di's own words here.

Preparing to Frame

I have some embroideries that I eventually want framed. With that in mind, on a trip past the nearest framing shop I stopped in. I was advised to use a foam board for backing the embroidery rather than usual mount board that I use. The assistant assured me that foam board is acid free so I'm going to try it out. 

On my practice run, the first thing I really liked is that although the board is quite thick, it's very easy to cut to size with a craft knife. Also, you can place pins along the edges to hold the fabric in place before lacing it. This makes it easier to get the fabric straight on the grain and hold it securely just where you want it.

It's been a while since I prepared an embroidery for framing and I gaily set off lacing the back of my practice piece. Being able to insert the pins into the edges of the board and keep everything where it should be, is a real joy.

Then came the corners. I found the mitre tricky because of the thickness of the foam board. The first corner has a slight overlap on the join that caused a ridge that you can see in the next photo.

I found that with the thick foam board, the corners have more fabric bulk that needs to be tucked in to get a neat mitre join. I usually keep the lacing loose so I can open out the corner before I trim it and fold it for the mitre. I might pull out some of the lacing before I do the next corner and just keep the pins along the very edge. More practice is needed!

Coincidentally, I came across an informative discussion about framing on Gary Parr's Fibre Talk. Gary recently spoke to master framer, David Lantrip who covered the whole question of framing in some depth. You can see Gary and David's chat here on You Tube. 

I was particularly interested in David's comments on framing embroidery. Interestingly, the suitability of foam board, a fairly new option, is still quietly being monitored by serious conservators. It is however widely used, and for small embroideries that are not expected to survive for 100's of years, foam board is fine. One other important point that was made is that it seems that lacing is still the best way to prepare an embroidery for framing. 

'Till next time, happy stitching!

A Snippet of Embroidery and a Rock Concert

Much has been happening here in the last couple of months - Christmas, New Year and a fun happy visit from my daughter and family. I have not been stitching but I have been working on an embroidery related project. I roped my grandson into taking some photographs for me with his new camera too.  This is just a snippet that I can show you in the meantime. I'll tell you more about it when I can.

The other happening that was definitely not embroidery, is that I attended an indie rock concert last night and it was fabulous! The musicians, songs, choreography, lights, smooth set transitions, and engaging audience participation were all outstanding. 

The show was at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, a ten minute drive from our house. Not being familiar with the venue and the parking options, Rod and I went along to check it out the day before the concert.

The anticipation before the show when the stage was set up for The Lumineers became palpable. 

We were absolutely delighted to meet the charming and talented violinist and musician, Lauren Jacobson, just before the show. 

Two hours of non-stop captivating musicianship, thought provoking songs, and sheer entertainment followed. 

The show was one of the first on The Lumineers packed schedule for their Automatic World Tour. They left straight after the show to travel on to Sydney and then the rest of Australia. The tour goes on to Asia, South Africa, North America and Europe. 

In the spirit of transparency, we had complimentary tickets, but this has in no way influenced my opinion. It was a wonderful concert and I hope many of you get to see it too. 

Thanks to Liam and Rod for some of the photos.