What To Do When the Stitching is Done

[Eliste]

Right.

So a couple of posts ago in another thread, I said I'd do some tutorials. Well, I've finally gotten around to posting them. All of these tutorials deal with the question of "what do I do with my project when I've finished stitching?

I'll update this post when they're up so you can check them out.

Overview
Step 1- Cleaning
Step 2- Blocking
Step 3- Ironing
Lacing
Matting
Frames

I apologize for the boringness of Lesson 1 but I had already washed my project by the time I realized I'd be doing a tutorial so don't have any pictures for it. I may go back and add pictures of another project once I actually finish one!

I've also added links to these tutorials on the side of my blog, withoutastitchon.blogspot.com, so they'll be easy to find when you want to come back!

Hope this helps anyone who isn't sure how to get their projects shown off in a way that actually shows off all their hard work!

*last updated 28th May 2011

[blackmageheart]

Great work, Eliste! I'm sure they'll be of immense help to those people who don't already know how to go about things at the end of a project

[susanne]

Your guides are very helpful
I love the tiger you stitched! Did you make the pattern yourself or was it a kit? I'd love to do a great piece like that

[Eliste]

Thanks, it was a kit. I think I linked in the first lesson to my original post on the Tiger project and it should have the kit name in it!

[Pyper]

This is fantastic and great timing, I have just finished my first project large enough that I want to tidy up properly

Do you have any recommendations as to (cheap) materials that can be blocked on? Closest I have are cardboard boxes from moving house...

[Eliste]

Cardboard is ok if you have nothing else, but it can warp from the water, which defeats the point.
Not that I recommend ruining furniture, but I've known a few people to block on their dining room table, but it left marks!
The puffy blue blocks I use are actually giant jigsaw foam pieces that I got for about 15 euro from a toy store.
Really the only requirement is that you can push something into it, it's big enough for the project, and it won't bend, warp or break if it gets soaked. Plywood, artist boards. If you have a frame that's wooden, you could use the backside of it to block if it's large enough.

My suggestion is to find something you're happy with and hang on to it. The good news is that if you try to use one thing and it doesn't work, you can just re-soak your project and try on a different medium.

[RMDC]

Thank you for these first three entries in the guide - you've really demonstrated the principle (so I can really understand the reasoning behind the process) and the value (so I have the motivation to do it right)!

[Eliste]

Thank you for these first three entries in the guide - you've really demonstrated the principle (so I can really understand the reasoning behind the process) and the value (so I have the motivation to do it right)!

Haha I can totally get the motivation issue. The project that I'm doing all of this on? Yeah, I finished it the end of January! I knew I wanted to do all of this to it, I just had to get my arse in gear and actually do them!

[Eliste]

Eh, sorry for the delay folks. My wrists have decided to make me want to chop them off again so I've been doing as little as possible this week. Going to the doc tomorrow who will hopefully give me better painkillers so I can get this project finished at the weekend. =\

[Eliste]

Back in business.
Lesson 4 is live, 5 and 6 will be coming over the next 2 days.