4 Best Ways to Mount Embroidery
Do you have a piece of embroidery you want to display? Here are 4 ways to proudly mount embroidery and show off your needlepoint art to its best advantage. Perhaps you have embroidery that a friend or loved one has made that holds fond memories of them. Or maybe you’ve created embroidery yourself that you’d love to share. It would be a sad waste of time and effort to just toss your embroidery into a storage box after all the skill and effort it took to create it.
There are many ways to display embroidery – these are the 4 most popular ways to mount embroidery, with instructions on how to do so.
How to Mount Your Embroidery 4 Different Ways
Embroidery, also called needlepoint or cross-stitch, takes dedication and patience. You may already have these traits but, if you don’t, a love for creating beautiful works of art can help you develop them. Practicing and learning a skill like embroidery will give you lovely pieces suitable for mounting.
There are many ways to display embroidery, just as there are many ways to create a piece of embroidery. You can frame it and hang it on a wall, or frame it and display it on a dresser. You can embroider everyday items that you use around your home, or embroider decor items to show your sense of style.
Let’s go over the 4 best ways to mount embroidery at home:
1. Mount Embroidery In A Hoop
Mount embroidery in a hoop? This technique may feel the most natural to execute because it calls for you to leave your creation in its original hoop before displaying it. You only need a standard sewing kit, a razor with a good edge, and an embroidery hoop, which you can easily buy at any sewing supply store or online. Wood, plastic, metal embroidery hoops – there are many materials to choose from in countless traditional or modern styles.
Start by removing approximately 2.5 to 3 inches of fabric from the fabric of your embroidery project that is larger than your hoop. To make the cut as accurate as possible, we advise you to first measure this out with a measuring tape and then use a pencil to discretely mark off your measurements. Additionally, this avoids any needless material waste. Once marked, simply cut out your creation neatly using your razor (or another sharp, suitable knife) in accordance with the markings you just made.
Once finished, turn it inside-out and use your sewing supplies to sew a running stitch all the way around the fabric. The fabric must be hemmed, so that it doesn’t fray, and don’t forget to leave at least one thin line of thread hanging. Then, using the small tail you left behind, tighten everything up and mount your cut fabric with your creation on the hoop.
When you’re finished, just tie a knot to secure everything, and you’ll have a lovely creation that is ready to hang for display!
2. Photo Frames
This is probably the simplest and quickest option for framing or to mount embroidery. You can go as affordable or as expensive as you like – there’s so much in stores or on-line to choose from. Thrift and antique stores are great places to find something unique for your one-of-a-kind creation. Measure your embroidery piece beforehand, or bring it with you if you can, to ensure you get the right size frame.
- Carefully remove the backing of your photo frame, gently setting the glass and frame aside. There is usually a piece of cardboard between the back and the glass that you can affix your embroidery to to hold it in place within the frame. If there’s no cardboard, get a thin but strong piece to use – an clean, empty box, cut to size, should do (there may something in your cupboard or recycling bin!).
- Trim your embroidery fabric if you need to so that you have at least an inch to three inches of fabric to secure it to the cardboard. Once you’ve determined where to place your embroidery so that it’s centered within your frame, you can attach it to the back of the cardboard with tape – fabric tape is best, to protect the integrity of your embroidery, but cello tape or masking tape will do.
- Insert your embroidery piece in the frame and gently hold it in place and flip the frame over to look it over to make sure it’s centered and straight and that there are no wrinkles.
- Carefully put the frame’s backing back in place and secure it. Now you can hang your embroidery on the wall or display it on a table, shelf, or desktop.
3. Stretched Canvas Frame
This is a simple method that will have you up and running in a matter of minutes. A stretched canvas frame will give you a clean, minimalist look in a flash, and is a great choice for larger embroidery pieces like baby blankets or clothing.
- Simply buy a stretched canvas from a craft or art store, or online, to get started. Measure the depth of your frame, then add two to three inches to that so you have enough fabric to secure the embroidery to the frame.
- Spread your embroidery piece face down, flat and smooth, on your work surface. Lay your stretched canvas frame on top of the embroidery, also face down.
- Fold the edges of your fabric over the edges of your frame, smoothly and neatly, and secure them with masking or painter’s tape (you could also use thumbtacks, since the frame is wood, if you like). You can tape just the top and sides of the fabric to the frame so that you can gently flip it over to make sure your embroidered piece is positioned the way you’d like it.
- Once satisfied with its placement, use a staple gun to attach the fabric to the frame securely, making sure not to create any wrinkles across the front or along the sides (similar to wrapping a gift).
- Remove the tape or thumbtacks and you’re ready to display your embroidery.
4. Everyday Items To Mount Embroidery
This is ‘mounting without a frame’! One of the best things about embroidery, needlepoint, or cross-stitch, is that you can use it to decorate and personalize items you already own. You can also buy items that may be a bit too plain or not quite right and add your touch to them to take them to the next level. Here are just a few items that you can buy, or that you probably own already, that you could mount embroidery on:
- Towels
- Bathrobes
- Backpacks and lunch bags
- Shopping tote-bags
- Shower curtains
- Tea towels and dishcloths
- Tablecloths and napkins
- Curtains and decorative cushions
- Sheets and pillowcases
- Baby blankets and soft toys
- T-shirts and bandanas
- Scarves, mittens, and gloves
- Beanies and ball-caps
You could stitch a monogram or a first name, do a decorative border or embroider some pretty flowers. Bumblebees or dragonflies, team names or logos, even display English embroidery – use your imagination! You can take an ordinary item and make it extraordinary for a loved one, a friend, or yourself. Embroider on gifts or on everyday household items.