Incoherent Scribblings

I have yet to have any of my cross stitch professionally framed. However, I am planning on changing this with “Passing Admirers.” This is my first big complicated piece and with all of the time and effort I am putting into it, not only do I want to look up and see it on my wall when I am finished, I want it to look professional.

I thought my local craft shop did framing. However, since I haven’t had anything professionally framed yet, I decided maybe I should take in another piece that I want to frame as a test subject.

In my mind’s eye this is how I pictured the scenario: I would come into the craft store and tell the lady I had something to frame. She would then go through the frames and mats with me making suggestions concerning the color of the mat and/or the style of the frame she thought would go best with the piece I wanted to frame. After I had chosen, she would take some notes concerning this and take my cross stitch to have it sent away and framed to my specifications. In a week or two I would return, pickup my newly framed cross stitch, pay, go home, and hang it on the wall.

In reality this is what happened: On Wednesday I took “Precious Family” with me to the craft store. There I chatted with the lady about framing. They had a selection of frame and mat samples and she told me once I had looked through them to let her know. She could then quote me the price and how long it would take. With the exception that the lady offered me no advice on matting or framing, it went pretty much as I planned.

Finally, I chose a frame (I decided I didn’t want a mat for this piece) and took it to the counter. There the lady had me measure my piece with the frame. She then took some notes, quoted me a price, and told me my frame would be ready in a couple of weeks. However, they just custom make the frame. All of the actual framing is up to you! (Luckily, I had been thinking ahead and had the size of “Precious Family” planned including the extra fabric for framing, so I should be able to frame it myself… it just won’t be professionally done as I had hoped.)

Well, I went ahead and got the frame, but this is totally NOT what I have in mind for “Passing Admirers.” If I want to do my own framing, but just order a custom frame, then my local craft shop is the place to go. Otherwise I guess I will head to the GelbeSeiten (Yellow Pages) to see if somewhere in Munich there is an actual professional framing shop.