Finishing instructions for cross stitch box and random act of kindness for Lizzie.

Hi everyone, I thought I would show you my recent random act of kindness that I sent to Lizzie from the Stitching Fairy's Rambling under the Willow Tree.

I knew that Lizzie liked Jane Austen so I decided to make the gift around that theme, I made a needlebook, pinkeep, (my pinkeep finishing instructions can be found on this page here)  polymer clay flowers and a polymer clay threadholder.

My recent visit to Bath where Jane Austen lived for a couple of years, allowed me to find some additional gifts to include, you can see my visit in this previous post here.

I designed the embroidery for the needlebook and used an alphabet pattern I downloaded from the internet, unfortunately I have forgotten where I got it from but if you would like a copy please leave a message on this post and I can send it to you. The pattern for the lady is a freebie, I am also trying to find where I got it from! Since downloading these patterns I have made a concerted effort to make sure I keep a record of where I get the patterns from!

  

I decided to make the same pinkeep for myself, I just changed the back of this one.

 

In my previous post I did say that I would show you how  I covered this box for the cross stitch Christmas ornaments box that I made for my sister, and here they are.

All pictures are clickable for a close up view.

You will need:

A box

Fabric or cross stitched piece to cover the lid - in this case I used silk that had a paper backing on to allow it to go through the printer, you can buy this fabric over the internet.

I found a lovely old Christmas image from the Graphics Fairy blog here and printed it on to the silk fabric.

Lining fabric for inside the box.

Mahogany wood paint/varnish and paint brush.

Wadding for padding the fabric on the lid.

Cardboard for mounting the fabric - I used 2mm thick white card.

Thin card for lining the inside of the box.

Cotton thread or quilting thread for lacing.

Glue that is suitable for fabric, wood, e.t.c

Trimming.

Place the cross stitched piece or printed fabric design face down and place the wadding and then card on top, lace the fabric with strong cotton thread as shown in the picture.

I actually backed the silk with thin cotton fabric because the silk was very fine.

Do not pull the threads too tight or it will distort the fabric from the front, keep checking the front of your design whilst you are lacing the fabric onto the card.

Do the same across the other side so that it looks like this and stitch down the corners neatly.

Again, remember not to pull the thread too tight or your design will become distorted and uneven.

You are now ready to line the box as shown in the photo below.

Draw around the base of your box onto a thin piece of card - I used a folder divider from a file.

Measure the edge of your box to cut off that amount around the edge of the card so that it fits snuggly inside the box.

This piece of card will be covered with your fabric - in this project I used cream silk. 

Place the thin card face down but only place glue on the edge of the card on the wrong side, do not put glue on the side that will be visible as it may show through the fabric.

Glue edge like this and trim corners.

Smooth some glue all over the card.

Turn over and your lining should now look like this.

Glue lining on the inside top and bottom of your box

Now you are ready to attach the top stitched piece to the box.

Put glue on the laced side, paying particular attention to the edges, but be careful not to put too much on the edge as you do not want the glue oozing out at the sides.

Place the cross stitched or printed piece on the top of the box and place some magazines on top to weight it down to ensure it adheres fully to the lid.

This is where you can go and make a nice cup of tea and put your feet up for half an hour or so!

And now for the fun part, gather yourself some nice trim to finsh off.

This is the most important part of the finishing and you must try not to rush it, as this can make or break the professional finish you are trying tlo achieve.

Start gluing the trim at the point where the join will be least visible, I started at the back of the box in the middle, you could always cover the join with swarovski crystals or beads to give a nice effect.

Bring the braid far enough up at the sides to cover where the top meets the box, you do not want a space that can be seen.

 

You should now have a lovely gift for yourself or someone special! 

All pictures are clickable for a close  up view.

I filled this with six of these ornaments and gave it to my sister in time for decorating her tree this Christmas.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, I shall be glad to help!

Thankyou for all of the lovely comments on my previous posts, please call again.