Needlework arrives in the studio in every condition imaginable. Some pieces come off the hoop the same week they are finished, still carrying the ghost of a transfer line through the centre. Others have spent a decade folded in a drawer. The preparation you do before the work reaches us is not a formality — it directly determines what we can offer in the mount room. A piece that has been properly washed and blocked lies flat, holds tension evenly, and takes a linen mount without distortion. One that has not been through that process may frame up beautifully and then shift over the following weeks, pulling the fabric away from the mount board. This guide covers the specific steps we see skipped most often, and the mistakes that cost people a second framing job.
Why preparation belongs to the maker, not the framer ¶
Framers work with the piece as it arrives. We can tension fabric over a mount board, we can float a piece on linen, we can choose a reveal that draws the eye away from minor imperfections at the edge — but we cannot correct a piece that has been blocked on a distorted grain. Once the warp and weft are set at an angle and the starch has dried, that angle is part of the fabric. Correcting it means wetting the piece again, which we cannot do once it is mounted. The practical conclusion is that washing and blocking must happen before the work comes to us, done by the person who knows the thread content, the fabric weight, and any vulnerabilities in the stitching.
Washing: water temperature, soap, and what to leave alone ¶
Most Aida and evenweave fabrics are cotton and will tolerate a gentle hand wash in cool water. Use a small amount of pH-neutral soap — the kind sold for washing delicate wool works well. Avoid anything with optical brighteners, which can shift the colour of the ground fabric over time. Submerge the piece, press it gently with your palms, and then lift it out without wringing. Transfer lines from water-soluble pens will vanish in the wash; lines from iron-on transfers may not. If you used an iron-on transfer, test a corner under water before committing the whole piece. Silk threads and hand-dyed overdyed threads can bleed, so test separately before the full wash. If bleeding occurs, a brief soak in cold water with a small amount of white wine vinegar will sometimes set the dye. If it does not, allow the piece to dry and bring it in so we can discuss presentation options that keep the affected area away from light-coloured mounts.
Blocking: the correct process for an even, square result ¶
Blocking is the step that most home finishers skip, and it is the one that matters most to us. Roll the damp piece in a clean cotton towel to absorb excess water, then lay it face down on a blocking board — a piece of insulation foam or a dedicated needlework board both work. Using rustproof pins (stainless steel T-pins, sold in any haberdashery), pin from the centre of each edge outward, checking the grain of the fabric against a straight line as you go. The goal is to have the warp threads running perfectly vertical and the weft horizontal, with corners at true right angles. Measure the diagonals: if they are equal, the piece is square. Leave it pinned until fully dry, which for a piece on 28-count evenweave typically means 24 hours at room temperature. Do not use a hairdryer or place the board in direct sun, both of which can cause uneven shrinkage.
What to leave untrimmed and unpressed ¶
Once blocked and dry, resist the temptation to iron the piece or press it with steam. A well-blocked piece should be flat enough that pressing is unnecessary, and ironing face-up will crush the texture of the stitches. If you iron at all, do it face-down on a thick towel at the lowest cotton setting, and only before the final block, not after. Do not trim the fabric margins before bringing the piece to us. We need a minimum of five centimetres of unstitched fabric on each side to work with — more is always better. If you have already cut close to the stitched area, tell us when you bring the piece in so we can plan the mount accordingly. In those cases a float mount, where the fabric sits proud of a linen backing rather than being wrapped around a board, is often the most workable option.
Presenting the piece: notes on colour, mount choice, and glass ¶
When you bring needlework to us, bring anything you know about the thread palette — a label from the floss, a colour card, a photo of the original kit. This helps us pull mount samples that sit within the piece's tonal range rather than competing with it. For cross-stitch on white or antique-white Aida, a warm linen or unbleached cotton slip mount usually reads better than a stark white board. For silk embroidery or goldwork, a conservation-grade silk slip in a neutral is worth discussing. On glass: standard float glass creates a reflection that flattens embroidery texture. We stock anti-reflection glass and Museum Glass, both of which let the surface of the work remain visible without the mirror effect. The difference is particularly noticeable with dimensional stitches like French knots and raised satin stitch.
What to tell us on arrival ¶
A brief conversation when you drop the piece off saves time for both sides. Let us know the fabric count and fibre content if you know it, whether any threads are hand-dyed or silk, and whether the piece has been previously framed or repaired. If there is a deliberate asymmetry in the design — a border that is intentionally heavier on one side, or a signature stitched into the lower right corner that you want visible — say so at the start. We will always bring a piece to the counter and walk through mount options with you before cutting anything. That conversation is the point at which we can catch problems: a corner that did not block flat, a thread colour that will be absorbed by the mount we were considering, a margin too narrow for a standard wrap.
Storing the piece if framing is not immediate ¶
If you have blocked the piece but are not bringing it in straight away, store it rolled rather than folded. Roll it face-out around a cardboard tube wrapped in acid-free tissue, and store horizontally in a cool, dry room away from light. Do not seal it in a plastic bag, which traps moisture and encourages mildew on natural fibres. A pillowcase made from unbleached cotton is a practical alternative. Pieces stored this way for up to several months before framing will arrive in the same condition they left the blocking board.
Needlework done well takes a serious amount of time. The preparation before framing takes an afternoon. Both investments are worth protecting with a mount and glazing that will hold the work stable for decades. When you are ready to bring the piece in, the studio team at Frame & Canvas will walk through every option with you at the counter — no appointment needed during workshop hours.