The Strawberry Sampler

Are you ready?

It starts Friday January 17th!

You've been asking & yes we finally have dates for the Framing Sale!

(is it just me, or does that sentence sound like we're going to prom: "WOOHOO! I'VE GOT A DATE FOR THE FRAMING SALE!").

Our annual January Framing Sale will begin on Friday January 17th & continue thru Saturday January 25th.

For anyone unfamiliar with what this means, here are the details.

You can come to the shop & bring in your pieces to be framed. We will help you select the perfect frame (& mat if you so desire!). Then when you check out, you pay for the whole total, inlcuding the mounting fee, and you will get 20% off the entire cost. This is the ONLY TIME you can get a discount on the mounting fee.

We will be open Friday from 10-5 (as always), Saturday from 10-3 (as always), then you CAN come by on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday from 10-3. I know, you're thinking "Wait. I thought you were closed on Mon, Tues & Wed." Yes. Yes we are. BUT! For Framing Week, we'll be here! Then on Thursday & Friday that week we'll be here 10-5, and again on Saturday from 10-3.

So make your plans accordingly.

One request ~ please try not to bring in 20 pieces! Seriously. Last year we had a hard limit. This year, I'm simply gonna ASK you to keep it to 7 or 8 or 10. Here's why: it has nothing to do with our volume, but it has everything to do with the other stitchers waiting. I don't EVER want someone to feel like they are being rushed because others are waiting, so you can see that if someone in front of you had 15 pieces you'd be waiting a LONG TIME! Having said that, if you have a bunch of things, and you live close enough, there's no reason you can't come in twice (or 3 times...right Podzi?). Just be considerate of your fellow stitchers.

More exciting news!

We are adding a new (to us) company of frames! This is the reason I didn't have a firm date until today, as we just found out when those corners will be here. Some of you will have heard of East Side Frames before. They have been around for quite a long time. In their earlier days, they were problematic to work with & not worth the aggravation. HOWEVER, that has changed & we are very excited to add them BACK to our "wall". Added bonus: they are local! And I do love supporting local businesses (in fact, all our frame suppliers that we use are small businesses).

Now, if you have accumulated lots of Frequent Stitcher Points (listed at the bottom of your receipt), you can always redeem 200 points to get 20% off everything ~ EXCEPT the mounting fee. Let me be clear ~ that is ANY TIME OF YEAR. You cannot redeem your points during the framing sale to get MORE than 20% off (that's double-dipping folks), but keep it in mind for use any other time of year.

I have a few "suggestions from the Framer" (Lise used to mumble these ALL THE TIME & I always just rolled my eyes....bwahaha....now I am mumbling them all the time, and thinking "I need to mention this...").

First & MOST IMPORTANTLY, please, when you are starting your stitching, LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM around the outside!

How do you do that?

Okay, glad you asked. Directions will be followed by an example.

1. Figure out what size your stitched piece will be.

2. You should have AT LEAST 2 inches (preferably 3) all the way around.

3. So take your design size & add 4-6 inches.

4. THEN cut your piece.

5. This way, whether you start in the center, or you measure in & down from the corner, you will have enough room.

So, let's say you have a piece that is 130 stitches high & 65 stitches wide. And let's say you want to stitch on 16ct aida (or, for you linen folks, 32ct linen).

To figure out how big that will be, divide your stitches by your fabric stitch count:

130 / 16 = 8 1/8

65 / 16 = 4ish

So your design is going to be 8 1/8" x 4".

THIS IS JUST YOUR STITCHING!

Now, add 6 inches to each of these.

8 1/8 + 6 = 14 1/8 (14" is JUST FINE)

4 + 6 = 10.

So you want to cut your fabric 14" x 10".

If it is 1-2 inches smaller than this, that is still okay. But minimum cut size should be 12" x 8".

Now, let's say you're doing a tiny piece (you know who you are....). And you've calculated your design size to be about 1.5" x 3". PLEASE!! Still add 2 inches all the way around!! PLEASE! Amazingly, stretching tiny pieces can be harder than stretching great big pieces ~ particularly if you don't give me much extra fabric.

The reason for all this is this:

(& if you want to skip the "why" ~ because we're getting into nitty gritty ~ that's fine...as long as you give me enough fabric. But I know some of y'all want to know WHY).

Let's go with our first example. Stitched size is approx 8" x 4". Let's say you found a piece of fabric that is 9.5" x 6" & you think "meh, this will be fine. I'll just center it well". The first thing that's gonna happen is, your framer (aka, ME) is gonna use lots of ugly words. But enough about me.

You bring your piece in & we start measuring. And you think you'd like to have about 1/2" showing all the way around (this is pretty standard). So now we are up to 9" (8" of stitching + 1/2" at one side + 1/2" at the other side = 9"). Next, underneath the front of the frame is called the lip & it is approximately 1/4", with a little wiggle room. So now we add 1/4" lip on one side & 1/4" lip on the other side plus the 9" & you get 9 1/2". Exactly the amount of fabric you used. Seems good right? WRONG! That leaves NOTHING to wrap around that mounting board to the back. NOTHING! And we do NOT EVER use sticky board. I do not care what one of the well know Floss Tubers says. I do not care that they say sticky board is acid free. I. DO. NOT. CARE. Even if it is acid free, I will not have anything adhesive touching ANY of your stitching ~ even if it's on the back. Why? Glad you asked. Because framing is a process. You don't simply slap your piece on the board & get it straight & even the first time. You just don't. And the more you adhere & detach something from an adhesive, the more likely the possibility that a loose thread will pull out. Also, at some point in the future, your piece may need to be re-framed ~ either by you or by future generations! I could go on & on, but I won't. Just know I won't use sticky board for framing.

Next, trim your tails. We won't trim them. What do I mean? When you finish off a piece of floss on the back, run it under a couple stitches, then trim it close. Do no leave a long tail. It will show thru the fabric, particularly if it's a darker color.

You don't have to wash & press your piece. You don't have to wash it at all. Truly, unless your dog drags your piece outside & rolls it in the dirt (I speak from experience!), your piece should be fine! I press everything before I stretch it ~ even if you've pressed it already. It's just a "thing" for me.

If you need your piece by a certain date ~ LET US KNOW! Even if it's months down the road ~ LET US KNOW! I love having a "NEED BY" date on a framing slip ~ truly. And most all the time it is done WAY before that. But still ~ LET US KNOW!

Okay, I think that's all for now as far as requests/suggestions/hints/techniques.

One note about the timing & the weather! Last year we had a snow day during the framing sale. Ugh! Connie & I (& all y'all who came in that day...the day before the snow) almost died! If we have a more bad weather & miss a day or 2, we will ADD some days in the following week, so don't panic. That's always the challenge in January!

So gather your pieces, and make your plans to come in & take advantage of the discount. We know that before Covid our frame suppliers lost a lot of their stock due to the trade embargo with China. We have no idea how the possible next round of tariffs will affect them this time, but it could trigger another round of rising prices. The price of frames has gone up astronomically in the last several years & that is a possibility again. Just another good reason to get in early!

Many of y'all have kindly asked how my mom is doing & I appreciate your thoughts! She came home on Saturday before Christmas & we are slowly learning a new rhythm, along with visiting nurses, PT's & OT's. I am truly managing one day at a time. It has been wonderful to be able to dig back in to the shop & "be normal"! I'm always looking forward to seeing all the great pieces y'all bring in to be framed ~ it's like vicarious stitching! So I'm excited to see what you've be doing!

Hugs & stitches ~

Beth & all the vicarious stitchers at TSS