I didn’t think of it either! I had no idea your paper was such a different size. I didn’t notice until I started digging around in my stash for a frame and all of them looked weird.
Your art is on paper 8 x 10" which I learned is called a “government letter” size in the US, at least according to the internet. Our standard paper size is A4. 8 inch = 20,3cm , 10 inch = 25,4 cm while A4 = 21 x 30 cm. So the width is fairly similar but the height is different.
8 x 10" paper is simply less rectangular than our A4. I tried using a bigger standard size frame (A3, which is 11.5 x 16.5" ) but the dimensions still look wrong. The A3-frame is still the same rectangle, just bigger. It needs a frame that’s more square.
But it turns out the frames are widely available online here, just not in my local shops. I suppose this is a common size for posters, art etc made abroad. This riddle has actually solved a long-standing issue for me, not being able to find the right size of frame for cross-stitch projects I did. There are more than a few that I simply can’t find the right frame for. Guess what? When I measured them they all had measurements that make sense in inches - 8x10", 10x12" etc. And indeed, all of them are patterns from non-EU designers. So, mystery solved. Only took me over 20 years to figure that out.
This is more than just an American-and-metric situation! Sooooo many cross stitch designs seem to not have taken into account readily available standard sizes of frames! Even American designers make pattern after pattern that don’t fit well in ready made American frames. Semi-related, I have a non-standard sized piece of art that was my recently deceased uncle’s and it’s a slightly off size and I’m just dreading finding a frame. I’d love to find something nice second hand, but I also don’t want this to take months or years. I’m considering making something, even though I know it’s not as easy as they make it look.
Another suggestion that might work for your uncle’s art, buying a nice, custom mat that bridges the gap between standard frame and the artwork. A nice mat is WAY cheaper than custom framing and when matched to the artwork can help enhance the art.
That’s a good option! The piece is already matted, but I’m not married to the matting. I was also given a nice mat cutting thing and am considering trying that out. I have to consider that it’s important to me that the frame’s proportion suit the proportions of the piece to my eye, as well.
I used a mitre box and a simple manual tacker. The cuts looked sharp and precise when I laid them out in front of me, but when I tacked them together they became wonky and the tacks damaged the front of the frame a little bit (nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a bit of sandpaper). I would definitely try glue the next time.
As I was ordering frames anyway I ordered one for the frame fail - project as well (it’s a gift that’s already delayed) but I might try again in future. Frame making would be a good skill to have.
In Cross Stitcher magazine tutorials they sometimes stretch a piece of cross stitch around a board and tack into place. That’s a simple solution but they would be really heavy, and over time they would become dust magnets. Maybe even they can’t find affordable frames for their own projects?
I think I would glue + some kind of metal fastener. In most woodworking, it’s the glue that holds it together and the fasteners hold it in place while the glue dries. I have some 90-degree clamps to help.
We bought a shelving kit, in retrospect I would have preferred customized sizing for the spacing on between the shelves but this will do as an improvement and higher book storage capacity in any case.
I am thissssss close to having the 1st two outdoor dining chairs redone. And I have been for days, even though I have been working on them almost daily. SIGH. I have one quick step left on one and a few on the second which includes more staining than I thought I’d be doing. It’s cooled off a bit here, so I thought it would be a good idea to add some heat to the shop where the staining is underway. I called my friend Sauron to come help.
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
2615
I love that industrial look! I need additional book storage but the only space I have left has an electric baseboard heater on the wall. We don’t use them anymore since we now have gas heat. Regular bookcases with a back won’t work, but it looks like those shelves would! I want them low like that! Thanks for showing them…I am going to look into them.
The kit was from amazon but it’s standard plumbling pipes so you could easily enough DIY and get just the right thing for your space. If you have a plumber/contractor friend, they may even be able to get you a discount on parts. It’s a bit fussy getting everything level so the planks sit straight and flat but I think you have pro helpers to do it just right.
T, are you working in the dead of night there? So dark!
