I Got Lucky!

Hey, get your mind on stitching! Last month, I visited a couple of thrift stores in search of a frame for Gentle Menagerie. Here's what I found:


B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L, isn't it? OK, maybe it's a little 80's-ish. Maybe the gold frame is a bit much for a bunch of animals stacked on each other. But HEY! It's got potential, right? Right.

If you have never tried furniture refinisher, let me tell you... It's AWESOME! It removes oil-based finishes (including shellac, lacquer and some varnishes) while retaining the character of the wood. I've used strippers which are messy and take a good bit of time to clean the old finishes off furniture. Refinisher is SO much faster and easier!

The manufacturer says it doesn't take off paint, but I have to disagree... It took the gold paint finish off the frame. If you thought the gold finish was bad, the wood frame underneath was even worse. Talk about UGLY wood, crappy terrible workmanship. A little sanding, and a few coats of stain... Good as new, for a small fraction of the price of a new frame!

Some of you may know that I cut my own mats and do the framing myself as well. I wanted to do something a little different with the mat this time. Instead of having the squared corners, I wanted to angle them. Talk about tricky stuff! I spent quite a few hours on Saturday night doing practice cuts on mat board. Went to bed a little discouraged, but woke up in the middle of the night with an epiphany! Literally. I got up and put my idea to work... squares, I needed to make squares!


I was so excited when my idea worked.. perfectly, I may add! *big huge grin* Without further adieu, let me present....

Design: Gentle Menagerie
Designer: Diane Brakefield
Magazine: Cross Stitch & Country Crafts, Mar-Apr 1991
Fabric: 16ct White Aida
Fibers: DMC, Kreinik
Started: July 5, 2010
Finished: September 4, 2010
Framed: October 4, 2010