apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I feel your pain. But in my case, I'm an odd twenty-three year old who loves to do needlepoint--when I get the time. But other than doing some bookmarks for Christmas presents, I haven't had a project recently because I can't find a cross-stitch chart that suits my more modern style. It's frustrating to me, because every color you can imagine is available, and the pixel-like design allows for endless variation, but there are so few options.

I too have a special needle point. (The first one my mom helped me do when I was little) And I too have a modern style. I am going to frame mine modern and put it up. I think yours is VERY COOL: it means so much and is a personal touch. In your apartment it tells a story of YOU. Plus, It's a piece no one can just buy online and frame.
KEEP IT! :)

I also have an old painting that my Grandma did. It's in an old fashioned frame made for canvasses. I might re-frame it next cure (this one's purely deep treatment) or I might just paint the old frame black (it's now a dark brown) so it's the right color but still has that old world feel that goes with the painting.

GOSH!!! She did that in three days? I don't think a knick knack shelve is a second rate place for that.

Grace, I love your needlepoint exactly as is. It will always hold a special place in your heart because it is from your mom, and the story behind it is quite a conversation starter! Glad they made it through ok.

Lurker2209, you might find some of the Charley Harper projects fun to do. I don't know if you can still buy them retail but I've bought them from eBay.

I would take it to a pro and get it reframed,maybe a deepreveal frame, very clean in black or deep brown,(square and chunky) with all white matting-even a white frame with white mat and the actual image will just float nicely inside the white-very minimalist!!
but go for a chunky clean feel to contrast the delicacy of the linework, this will help contemporize it

i think a more modern frame would totally help. the needlepoint itself looks nice, just the frame makes it look less than modern to me.

I agree! A new frame would totally do it.

FIY, there are companies but there that will take your own image and "chart" it to a pattern. My sister did this awhile back and sent in an old Time Magazine cover with Thelonious Monk. She's still working on it and it's looking very cool!

With a quick search, I found SewAlong, which will convert an image into a pattern for cross stitch or tapestry. Good luck!

Lurker... my old junior high chum designs needlepoint or cross stitch kits. She started her own company because design companies would not package kits using unusual materials. Check her out here... www.brittercupdesigns.com
Her stuff seems pretty traditional but she may be open to suggestions.

as for the original question, maybe you could play off of the letter styling in the needlepoint - which seems a little art deco to me.... and frame it with that idea in mind. Maybe that can pull you in the right direction.

Been there *so* many times. But it's a lovely piece and framing should definitely do it - bball has the right idea.

clickchick - you're friend actually has some pretty neat looking stuff there!

Lurker - I used to do needlepoint in college to relax when my brain was too study-fried to read for pleasure. I loved Renaissance blackwork technique. Nice geometric patterns that you can work all kinds of ways, including a bit goth if that's your thing (it's not mine, but I've seen it done). Just google it and you'll find all sorts of stuff and tons of patterns.

Or, you could take up crochet instead, which will pay off big time in a few years when all your friends start having babies. ;-)

suggestions for the needlepoint in question:
-try more modern frame, particularly a wide one
-lose the mat, or mat with a funky or cool patterned paper, to add to the quirk factor and make it more decorative
-hang it somewhere interesting, in a grouping with other cool things

for hip needlepoint & crossstitch galore:
http://www.sublimestitching.com/oneindex.html

Sublime stitching sells great kits that are fun to do, from beginning to advanced. I've bought a few and had a good time with them. It is more needlepoint focused (instead of cross stitch) but fun nevertheless.

I think the grouping idea is great! re-frame it, and then hang it with interesting things. You can make the piece look more to your style then. It's probably easier to make it look quirky and harder to make it look minimal and modern. But with enough effort I definitely think it's possible.

Another vote for a new frame. That frame is saying "country rec room with paneling, pool table, and stuffed calico chickens" in a way that drowns out the niceness of the work itself.

You want a frame that says "casual collection of family heirlooms and unrecognized flea market treasures -- every time you look at my walls, you'll discover more curiosities, and each one has a story." In this vein, I'd go with much, much simpler matting -- no more than one layer and not a dead-match to the stitching colors.

Being with knick-knacks or photos is not such a bad thing -- that makes it part of an ensemble rather than a featured player, which is a legitimate way to handle things you like but don't want to decorate around.

There are a number of contemporary artists who use traditional needlework in their work. I would recommend a new, much larger frame with lots of open space surrounding the work. It will completely recontextualize your work from a small knick knack or curiosity, to something more contemporary and graphic.

I am reading this just as I am trying to figure out what to do with the lovely old quilt, appliqued bedspread, wool blanket, and little textile-type things I have gotten from my family. I love them, and I really agree with that notion of, "display it, don't store it." But... HOW to display them? I don't really like quilt racks, for instance.

Blankets and quilts? Use them, in rotation, taking them off the bed for sleep if they're too delicate to sleep under.

needlepoint can be modern! i love the geometric needlepoint pillows that Jonathan Adler is doing and have found several (better) vintage pillows at flea markets.

personally, Grace, i can't see you piece fitting into a modern space. maybe it just reminds me too much of the "Kountry Kraft" boutiques that i left behind in Kentucky....but if it holds nice memories, stash it in a storage box and maybe it'll match the decor in your summer cottage, should you ever have one ;)

I agree with Fio, a nice large, modern frame will help redefine the needlepoint.

another vote for reframing. I would change the shape- making the frame long and thin rather than square to help it fit better into a more modern room.

I agree that a new frame & matboard can make a huge difference. I have a crayola "self-portait" that I drew in first grade that my mom framed for me as a gift a few christmas's ago...I didn't think it totally fit in with my style (! shocking, right?) but I had the perfect spot for it on a wall in a short hallway near my bathroom. It's not necessarily in clear view, though I get to pass it every day and it makes me smile.

Don't change it--it's sweet, and cool looking in a folk-art kind of way.

I can't tell how big it is, but if it doesn't match anything of yours and is fairly small, group it with a bunch of other eclectic smallish pieces of art in assorted vintage mismatched frames. It'll look cool without standing out too much on its own.

I think if you give it a modern frame, it'll look weird, like something you couldn't figure out what to do with so you chucked it in a modern frame; it kind of screams "I don't really like it, but at least the frame is mod..." It'll make it stand out more, and not in a good way.

I like CQ in DC's idea. Ask your mom for two more needlepoints of similar coloring, either the same size or smaller, and frame them in a long, rectangular frame - with a mat that has space for each one.

Thanx lhollinger for the the sublime stitching link! Awesome stuff. i'm a modern girl who loves to embroider. I'm loving all how all the 'old' home arts are making a resurgence in bold and refashioned ways.

I would reframe it in a simple frame and remove it from the knick knack shelf. Put it on a (small) wall alone or with a few objects and let the artistry (and love) speak for itself.

I think re-framing is the key; the matted look isn't "in" anymore...

I recently had a guest from Lithuania stay at my house. She saw my wall full of cross-stitched and embroidered pieces and said, "Where can I buy these?" She had stayed in several other American homes and had seen them in almost every place and wanted to buy some for her flat. She was bummed to know they are usually made as gifts for people, not bought... I'm now thinking what I"ll make for her, since she obviously likes them!

Instead of reframing it or leaving it in a dark corner of your apartment, you should use the needlepoint to embellish a functional object. For example, it would make a very nice decorative cover for a family photo album. You could sew it onto some fabric to make a slipcover or just glue it directly onto the photo album cover adding some simple ribbon around the outside to hide the edges of the canvas. It would turn a simple photo album into an heirloom.

If you are looking for contemporary needlepoint kits, go to www.amhdesignonline.com. We make small, stylish needlepoint kits that are functional- photo albums, ipod cases & journals.