What do you do with your stitchery?

[Fizzbw]

Heya,

Newbie here.

I was wondering what everyone did with their finished pieces? Do you keep them for yourselves or give them to other people? Do you feel different stitching for someone else than yourself? I tend to feel more motivated doing it for someone else, but am rapidly running out of family and friends to give pieces too!!

I just did these two for my brothers house warming gift, (not washed, stretched or framed as yet).



But now I'm onto a Dracolair dragon which is supposed to be for me, which will look like this (first time using metallics)



and this is how far I've got! Am finding it a bit hard to do at night due to the three quarter stitches etc, but there is enough straight stitching that I'm coping so far, otherwise I'll have to have another one on the go which I don't usually do.





I also have a pretty big pile of these kind of pieces which I have run out of people to give them too!




Big hugs

Niki xxx

[Nachstenliebe]

Welcome to the forum! Your pieces are beautiful!!
I don't think I feel any different when I'm stitching for myself or others.. If it's a large piece I always feel a tug to keep it, but once it's been given I'm fine
Faith

[maggs]

What lovely work

[Sarah Gixxer]

Hi Niki, welcome to the forum!

I loved looking at your photos, your work is beautiful. Animals are one of my favourite subjects to stitch too and the dragon is lovely.

I'm not very imaginative with my finished pieces - everything usually gets framed eventually. Some I keep for myself and then rotate the ones on the walls as there isn't enough wall space for them all! Some I give away as gifts - I think everybody in the family has one now, except for my sister (who is next in line!)

[karen4bells]

lovely stitching!
Most of mine also gets framed, have given loads away as gifts too and have a fair few that are sitting in storage waiting to be framed

[Fizzbw]

Thank you!

Do you frame them yourselves or do you get it done professionally? I'm afraid that in general I give my friends/family the piece unframed or stretched, most do get them framed, but I do have to do the zebra and griaffes myself, and am a bit scared!!

Hugs

Niki xx

[Sarah Gixxer]

I normally get mine professionally done, but it means that I have stacks of them waiting to be framed because it costs such a lot. Also I'm in the process of moving to a new area so I've got to find myself a new framer, just when I got to like the old one.

[kell]

Most of mine to date have been for other people, in the form of gifts, cards and commissions, but this year I've really been stitching more for myself, doing things like the Basket of Biscornu challenge (one each month so I can hang them all on my Xmas tree), a picture and sampler for my son's room, some small samplers of my own design for my hallway, etc. I'm also part of a cross stitch ATC exchange group, so I do 2 of those every month too.

I've only had 2 pieces professionally framed (the 2 for my son's room) and I plan to frame the small samplers for my hallway myself, but most of my work hasn't been for framing so far. I do a lot of things like cards, ATCs, biscornu, bookmarks and other gifts (last year I did a handbag, a hand mirror and a cushion, and I'm busy slowly working on an afghan too).

[Catwoman]

Welcome to the forum. Your designs are lovely. I keep most of mine but I have made things for my family. If anything has to be framed I have it done professionally, although it is so expensive.

[pamelam]

Hi Niki! Your pieces are lovely I especially love the blue and gold colors of the dragon design. I stitch for my home and for others also. When I do stitch for others I feel more motivated to keep on when I run into problems. If it's for myself I sometimes put it away for a long long time. My husband has framed all but one of my pieces. It's cheaper that way for us. He is a perfectionist and takes a lot of time on it.

[Rose]

Those are very nice patterns and they will look great framed.

If you don't want to frame them you can make them into pillows or book bags or even a quilt. There are loads of ways to finish a picture.

[mauveme]

Welcome and lovely work. I have given many away. Usually framed which I do myself. I use the acid free sticky boards cause it is cheaper (frames from WalMart are cheaper and have a matt too). I would never get anything framed if I had to use a framer. Way too expensive. I have made a few pillows with some aswell.

[XandraS]

Welcome to the forum, I love your zebra and giraff, they are beautiful

So far I haven't finished anything for myself, but I am currently stitching a cushion for me mostly my finishes have been quite small though, cards etc

[socialsue]

Welcome to the forum! Your designs are lovely !!!!

I usually stitch for myself, family members and people in my exhanges, RRs, or other cross-stitching groups. I don't framed my stitching because my walls are already claimed by my artistic family members, photos, drawings, paintings, etc. I keep most of my stuff in my drawer until an idea comes up to finish one of my stitching project and go from there.

socialsue

[Busy_B]

Beautiful pieces!!

[Squirrel]

Hi Nicky and welcome to the forum

Your work is lovely and you do such lovely neat work.

I mostly give mine away to family and friends although I have kept a few for myself, plus have some of my daughters work on the walls too. I do frame the smaller pieces myself but if it is a specialy piece for family/friend I get it professionally done.

I do have a stash of ones I would like to do for me one day, but there seem to be a lot of 18th, 21st, and 50th family birthdays coming up over the next year or so, so my things will wait a bit longer.

Squirrel

[Raven]

Welcome to the board! I hope you love it here as much as I do.

Your pieces are gorgeous! Great stitching!

I give away a lot of my stitching. The pieces I want to keep for myself are currently stored in an old dresser in my tv room. They are laying flat and separated by acid free tissue paper with a clean white towel on the bottom (to cover the drawer bottom) and another one on top to protect them from dust or anything.

I will eventually frame them or finish them in some manner (pillows, wall quilts, etc) to decorate the house. Right now I can't afford to frame them professionally and since we smoke the one wall quilt I did make has to be washed regularly. To protect it I found a deep frame and put it in there, but I don't want to display my stitching while we are still smoking, they will end up discolored. I am also studying how to do the framing myself and when I get better at it, I will start framing them myself.

well that was a rambling babbling response LOL Sorry about that.


Raven

Edited to add: The pieces I have received in exchanges are stored in ziploc baggies to protect them and sitting on one of my shelves where I can see them.

[dollystitcher]

A very warm welcome to the forum Niki, it is one of the friendliest places in the world and I love it on here and I am sure you will too. Your work is stunning and I particularly love the dragon, they are one of my favourite things to stitch.
Most of my stitching has been for family and friends, especially grandchildren. They all have birth samplers and advent calenders.
Many of my projects are on my walls or laid flat in a box ready for decorating the walls of the flat I am waiting for.
I have framed several of them myself and many have been turned into cushions or wall hangings etc.
I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Lynne

[vanessanjf]

I frame all my favourite ones myself and the others I store in a folder and have a look at them every now and then.

[Lessa54]

Hello and welcome. Your pieces are lovely

So far I've framed big pieces, gifted an afghan and a bib to friends and otherwise made bookmark kits and in the middle of some christmas ornaments. Since I'm liable to run out of wall space will also need to look into other ideas soon.