:: Winter 2021 
Review
Design Techniques and Framing Decisions
CyberFibres chose stitching charts from British P.J. Mason/Loxley Designs, and adapted them to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing. This company published a charming series of charts featuring an adventurous fox. In “Fox Goes to the Moon,” an American flag and flagpole were added to the design for the fox to admire. In “Fox Goes to Bed,” a framed picture of the American flag on the moon was stitched to hang above the fox’s bed.
Bold colors for mats and frames were chosen to appeal to children. Double matting was used in order to highlight two of the thread colors used, instead of just one. Museum quality glass was selected for two reasons: 1) maximum clarity for the viewer; and 2) maximum protection for the threads and fabric from ultra-violet rays.
To give the scenes a “floating” quality, the mats were positioned .5” beyond the stitched border edges of the samplers. This prevented thread colors that did not match the top or bottom mat colors from clashing right next to them. The background fabric used is 14-count Aida cotton, and the thread is DMC cotton embroidery floss. The reverse side of each sampler has all threads neatly secured, with no threads puckered or looped. To avoid the pulling effect that running, single-direction stitches can have on the background fabric, each cross stitch was completed before the next stitch was begun.