Monday 2 June 2008

Sian Esther



A friend of mine has suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome from a child. She used to use cross stitch as a way to try and keep up the mobility of her hands. However, over a period of time her condition has deteriorated so she was unable to continue her hobby. It was with great regret that we had to clear out her craft cupboard, but I became the happy beneficiary of the contents.

This is one of the items that I acquired. It is a cross stitch kit which came supplied with a flexi frame. They are not my favourite frames, but it does mean that the project can be completed quickly.

I have stitched it for my niece. She often used to come and stay with me and have a go at cross stitch among other crafts. I thought it would be nice for her to have a handstitched gift to hang on her wall.

To complete the picture, I used the inner hoop as a template to cut an oval of wadding and two ovals of cardboard. I used the card from cereal boxes, nothing like recycling!

After washing the stitching, I ironed it between two soft towels until it was dry and all the creases had been removed. Once the design was centred, I eased the outer flexi frame over the rigid inner frame. On the reverse side, I first put in the wadding, folded over the edges, and then used the cardboard to fix everything into place. It means that the reverse is all tidy and the stitching contained.

Now it has to be wrapped and posted.

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