A Quick, No Sew way to finish a small stitched project
I've been stitching a good number of small pieces this year - Freda's Mini Pillows and and Little Boxes.
These smalls are really fun to finish and display and I am always looking for different ways that I can display the projects that I stitch. The tray is quite unique - it has a little "drawer" on the bottom that slides out. All you need is a small project that is a little smaller than the size of the tray.
Here's the link to the product on Amazon.
It was very reasonably priced (but it did ship from China, so there was a shipping cost added to get it to Canada). All in, the tray cost was around $20 CDN.
The tray is available in a couple of different sizes and I would repurchase for a future project!
Little Boxes has a finished size of 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" and the dimensions of the acrylic tray is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".
Step 1: As the acrylic tray is clear, the back side of the stitching needs to be covered. I used a scrap piece of mat board for this purpose. You could also use a piece of scrap book paper or quilting fabric for this purpose.
Cut a piece of mat board or cardboard to the same dimensions as the tray insert (inside dimensions). I used an exacto knife to make the cuts, with a handy quilt ruler and cutting mat. If you don't have mat board, you can use a thin piece of cardboard.
If you are using scrap book paper or quilting cotton for the back, glue onto one side of the cardboard.
Test to make sure that your piece fits inside the insert.
Step 2: Cut your stitched piece to size
This step does take some preplanning and measuring.
Remember the rule - measure twice, cut once! You want to make sure that your stitched piece is centered in the box (and therefore centered on the cardboard insert that you prepared in step 1).
Trim the excess canvas. I trimmed the canvas to approximately 1/2" around on each side.
Center the stitched piece onto the cardboard backing and then trim the canvas a second time. This is where you want to ensure that the stitched piece is centered!
Little Boxes is just a bit smaller than the size of the insert, so some of the unstitched canvas will be left around the edge. Consider this your "frame".
I chose to add an extra row of backstitching around the outside edge of the finished piece to minimize the amount of unstitched canvas showing.
Step 3: Secure the stitched piece to the cardboard
I used Aileen's Tacky Glue to secure the stitched piece to the cardboard.
You don't need much glue - just 4 or 5 drops (spread out with your finger). Just a reminder that using glue is permanent!
Step 4: Position the stitched piece on the cardboard
Position the stitched piece on the cardboard and press down to secure. Again, make sure everything is properly centered!
I used the tray insert as a guide. Before I pressed the canvas piece onto the cardboard, I placed both pieces inside the tray and used to help with placement.
Step 5: Place the tray insert back into the acrylic tray!
This project is finished and beautiful. The best part is that your little embroidery is protected and you have a useful tool box.
No sewing required!
Enjoy
