Oh, that is absolutely gorgeous! The framing is a perfect complement to the wonderful work of art. Well done!

This reminds me that I need to pick up a piece of custom framing at Michael's myself. I've had another corporate stock certificate framed as a going away gift for a colleague. I think this is the 4th one that Michael's has done for us, and they turn out beautifully. The cost is always right around $170, and is worth every penny.

msmeow - that is stunning, beautiful colors and very intricate. I used to cross stitch a lot, then got busy with the kids and dogs. When we moved I put my framed ones in the closet and never hung them - I really should pull them out. I have 2 more that are 80% done but haven't worked on them in at least 10 years. Last week I sorted through my sewing box and packed up several kits with instructions and embroidery thread to donate.

Beautiful! How wonderful to have the talent and patience to create art.

That is stunning!!

The layers of the framing are brilliantly well done but it's what's inside the frame that is so beautifully done. Wonderful.

That is a beautiful piece of art you created & the framing is perfect!

What frame? I can’t stop staring at the needlework!!! amazing!

What robo said! Wow, gorgeous cross stitch, great job!

The frame does look wonderful, too. :)

That's lovely. I have been using Michael's for at least 20 years now, but in large part because my mother had discovered a classmate of my brother's who was an artist was working there and had used her to frame some prints and needlework. Post 9/11 when we were involved in a collaborative art benefit project, we also acquired some works that she helped us with. She retired shortly before COVID hit so I hope the people she hired and trained will be as good as we knew nad msmeow and Mtn have experienced. Good to see that.

Beautiful work! (yours!!)

Thank you, everyone! You can’t tell in the photo, but there are lots of shiny blending filaments, metallic threads, and beads.

Beautiful, intricate work. I used to cross stitch a lot, and still display a few. My favorite is a wedding ring done to commemorate our wedding, and done in gold metallic thread, on very small count fabric, 20-something. It was like building the St. Louis arch, only my ring didn’t meet at the top. I had to rip out those stitches so many times, I had pieces of gold thread everywhere. I still love it though. I see you have an arch, too. 😉

Wonderful!

The colour palette is exquisite, msmeow. I can't even imagine the level of detail. I envy your eagle eyes and dexterity. :)

Oh my goodness that is amazing. I would have had trouble trusting that to any framer.

As someone who inherited a lot of expensively framed intricate cross stitch my late MIL did, what you have is a precious family heirloom.

I used to cross stitch all the time but I just don't have the patience for a big project.

A month ago in our storage building I found a bag of unfinished cross stitch my MIL had started. I'm thinking about finishing at least one, but I don't know how to do some of the complex stitches.

Do you have children? If so, who gets it? lol

@Oakley, perhaps your MIL did needlepoint? Cross stitch only uses an ‘x’ stitch, where needlepoint uses many different kinds of stitches.

Oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous, Donna!!!

What a spectacular piece of work, Donna! Wow, ten years, and it shows!

Be back later, it's taking too long to upload.

That is absolutely beautiful. As a non-cross stitcher, I can only imagine the time and effort that went into that. A treasure to keep forever.

So lovely!!

Framed beautifully but your crossword piece is so lovely. The blues and purples along with greens are stunning. Does it have glass on it for protection? Congratulations.

That is one gorgeous piece of cross-stitch. You did a wonderful job and it is beautifully framed. I used to do a lot of cross-stitch too until my eye sight just wouldn’t let me concentrate anymore. And I hated using the around the neck magnifiers.

I’m glad Michael’s did a good job for you. I too have taken a few jobs to them for framing lately since my former framers retired and went out of business. I was very pleased.

Wow!!!!! What a stunning work you created!

That is gorgeous, Donna!

That’s a lovely choice of mat color and the handwork is beautiful.

Perfection! It is stunning. The artwork alone is amazing and the choices you made in framing are absolutely gorgeous!!!

I love it! Framing is excellent - I have only used their services once, and they did an excellent job on the print I'd just purchased.

Thank you all again! You're too kind. :) Yes, there is glass over it. In fact, my only minor complaint is that it isn't glare-free glass.

Over the years stitchers have debated whether or not to put stitchery under glass. I have several framed both ways, and I am much happier with the glass! I can't see that any issues have arisen from being under glass, and the open ones get very dusty. Some are dirty enough to need cleaning, but that would probably mean having to have them reframed afterwards.

So timely! I have two needlepoints I need framed and was wondering where to take them. Our local framers also went out of business. Beautiful works!

The one thing I need to have framed is a sampler my mother made. It is framed but not under glass. it seems to be getting grungy, and it's just been hanging in a hallway all thee years, not particularly a dusty area . . . I was wondering why people didn't put them under glass . . .

msmeow I would love to see a closer pic of the stitch work - it's just beautiful and the frame/mat choice show it off so well.

As for cleaning the ones not under glass, it's probably just dust making them look dirty, right? I wonder if 'blowing them off with a can of compressed gas could help. But perhaps that would drive the dust further into the fibers so maybe never mind! Or the old fashioned method of putting a stocking over the small brush attachment of a vacuum and gently vacuuming the dust off might be safer.

What an amazing work of art. As someone who used to cross stitch, I especially admire the work that went into this and your tenacity to complete it. The framing is the icing on the cake.

When I first blew past this thread, I thought the picture was a painting or a print, thought, "oh that's pretty...nice colors..." and moved on. Then I realized what it was. Wow, that is one beautiful x-stitch! I am a long-time x-stitcher.... I made samplers for each of my kids when they were born and for my wedding, and have done a few others since but not nearly as much as I did when I was younger. I recently started up again but kind of tossed my new project aside as I got distracted with other things (I took a class in "visible mending" and now I'm running around embroidering all my clothes LOL). This has motivated me to get back to work on that project! Thanks for sharing.

You do beautiful work!