How to finish and display cross stitch

First, for every finish

Wash the piece if it can be washed, and press it from the back. Both come before any finish: how to wash cross stitch, then how to iron it. If it has picked up a mark, see removing stains. Then choose.

Ways to finish a piece

• Frame it. A frame gives the most polished look and the most protection, and it costs the most. The piece is stretched over a board first, then framed with or without glass. See how to mount and lace cross stitch and how to frame a cross stitch.
• Finish it in a hoop. The quick, informal finish, best for small and round designs. The hoop you stitched in becomes the frame. See how to finish cross stitch in a hoop.
• Hang it without a frame. A larger piece can be hemmed into a banner and hung from a dowel: see how to hang cross stitch. Or it can be stretched over an artist's canvas, which is covered in the framing guide.
• Make an ornament. A small design gets a back, a little padding and a loop to hang it by. See how to finish cross stitch ornaments.
• Make a bookmark. The finish for a long, narrow design. See how to make a cross stitch bookmark.
• Put it in a card. A small design can go in a greeting card. See how to make a cross stitch card.
• Sew a pillow. A medium or large piece becomes a pillow front, with strips of fabric added around it if it is too small on its own. See how to make a cross stitch pillow.
• Make something small. Patches, pins, magnets, pin cushions and needle books all start from a small design. See small things to make from cross stitch and how to make cross stitch magnets.
• Make a stocking or a quilt. Both are sewing projects with the stitching as the front. See how to finish a cross stitch stocking and cross stitch quilts.

Two details belong to most of these: the back and the edge. How to back a cross stitch and how to finish cross stitch edges cover them.

Ways to display finished pieces

• A gallery wall. Many pieces hung together, in frames, hoops or both.
• A shelf or a table. A small frame with a stand, or a hoop on a little stand, needs no nail.
• Things in use. A pillow on a chair, a bookmark in a book, a cover on a jar.

Wherever a piece goes, keep it out of direct sun, which fades thread, and out of steam.

Storing finished cross stitch

• Clean it first. Soiled cloth mildews more readily than clean cloth.
• Roll it, do not fold it. A fold becomes a crease. Roll the piece around a clean white cloth or acid-free tissue, with the same between the layers, so that the stitching touches only that.
• Keep it dry and dark. A drawer or a chest is right. An attic, a basement or a closet on an outside wall is not.
• Not in plastic for long. Plastic traps moisture. A cloth or paper wrapping lets the piece breathe.

Sewing a piece onto other fabric

A small piece can be sewn onto a jacket, a bag or a quilt like a patch. Make the edge safe first, with a turned hem or a border of stitches, then sew it down around the edge. Blanket stitch does both jobs at once. A layer of iron-on interfacing behind the piece helps it keep its shape. The steps are in small things to make from cross stitch.

Outdoors and weatherproofing

Cross stitch is an indoor thing. Sun fades the thread, and damp air grows mold on cotton and linen. A protective coating spray is not the answer: the advice from thread makers and long-time stitchers alike is to keep chemicals off a finished piece.

What a professional finisher does

A finisher makes your stitched piece up for you: into an ornament, a pillow or a stocking, with the backing fabric, lining and cord chosen and sewn on. Needlework shops take pieces in and pass them to finishers. The price depends on the finish. The wait is long, and shops set a deadline months ahead for pieces wanted by Christmas, so ask early. Framing is separate work, done by a picture framer: ask for acid-free boards and mats. The needlepoint section's guide to needlepoint finishing says more about how a finishing service works.

Where to go next

Not sure what to make? Cross stitch ideas sorts projects by what you make, by occasion and by size. Ready to finish? Start with the wash: how to wash cross stitch.