Framed: Untitled I

Usually I have a name for my pieces, this one remains nameless. It’s a bit surprising since I have spent more time with this piece than any other piece I have made to date. It’s also my first work on ‘canvas.’ Presenting finished works in their hoops is quite the trend now. Perhaps it has been this way for years, but since I am new to the craft it feels like a new preference to me. While I like the idea for smaller, fun pieces created as bookcase display items to remain in their hoops, I find myself admiring some very detailed and marvelously created works and desire them to be finished in a frame, no the work hoop.

When I purchased the canvas, it had a thick coating of gessoe, which was more than I wanted to fight to get a needle through. So I ripped that off and wrapped a heavy cotton fabric around the remaining wood frame. Some quick work with a staple gun provided me with a very taut fabric that held its shape beautifully through the entire stitching process.

As usual, I started my designing in a sketchbook. Being an abstract image, it was easy to draw a similar pattern on the framed fabric. As I added colors, I would amend the design here and there, making some spaces smaller to make them more conducive to the Satin Stitch.