Today, it’s all about ingenuity – and finishing embroidery for display…
“Hoop art” is a Big Thing these days. Many folks who love to stitch have discovered that they can display, albeit in a somewhat temporary fashion, their embroidery projects directly in the hoops they were created in.
After trimming the fabric, turning it in on the back, and covering the back of the hoop with other fabric or felt (some folks even use decorative paper), you can then hang the hoop directly on the wall or put it wherever you want – small hoops make great tree ornaments, for example!
It took me a while to get on the hoop art wagon, but now that I have a place where I can display lots of embroidery samples (as opposed to full-fledged, big, time-consuming projects that I’d be more apt to frame professionally), I definitely see the value – and the fun! – of using a hoop for display purposes.
Kacee Granke of Stitch Life Studio has taken the notion of the hoop art display a little farther and contrived an ingenious and attractive way to dress up hoop art. So, today, I’m going to show you what Kacee makes and tell you why I think it’s both fun and smart.
Kacee, who’s located in Asheville, North Carolina, uses Appalachian hardwoods to make laser engraved and plain frames that you can slide an embroidery hoop into for a decorative, tidy, and flexible display.
Yes, I know it seems a little contradictory to talk about hoop art frames. After all, isn’t that the whole point of hoop art, that you don’t need a frame?
But the ingenious thing about Kacee’s frames is that they preserve the convenience of hoop art while allowing the stitcher a whole lot of flexibility in creating a more finished looking display.
What do I mean by flexibility?
Well, the frames are made so that they are not necessarily permanent. It’s very easy to switch a new hoop in and out of the frame.
Maybe you have seasonal embroidery you want to display? Or maybe you have very little space to display embroidery but you have lots of pieces that you’d like to have out now and then? You can easily switch hoops in and out of the frame every month – or week – or day!
Each frame opening is cut about 1/8″ smaller than the standard size of a hoop, so that the frame overlaps the hoop.
On the back of the frame, there’s a network of elastic that holds the hoop in place, so that you can just pop the elastic over the hoop, turn the frame over so that you can situate your embroidery in the center, and that’s it! It’s ready to hang!
You can use either the elastic as a hanger or you can use your hoop hardware.
Easy!
The frames come in different sizes, of course, from small to large.
The one that I have features an 8″ opening, which fits many of the embroidered kaleidoscopes that I’ve worked through here on Needle ‘n Thread.
You can custom order frames with openings from 3″ all the way up to 12.”
On some, the laser etching is bold, and stands out in high contrast. On other frames, the etching is lighter and more delicate – it really depends on the design you choose and the stain.
When you order a frame custom made (as opposed to one of her ready-to-ship frames), you have a choice of three different shades of stain: dark walnut, medium cherry, or light maple.
Some of the designs are quite striking and would work great with certain themed embroidery. For example, I love this little hexagon frame, and I think it would look great with one of the monograms from Will Ewe Bee Mine in it – or perhaps a small Lavender Honey design? The bee theme, you know!
This particular piece of embroidery isn’t on a hoop, so I couldn’t slide it into the frame.
Still, I could easily take it off the stretcher bars, hoop it up, and slide it in if I wanted to add it to a kaleidoscope rotation in this particular frame. It would take a matter of minutes to have it framed and on display.
Great Gift Idea!
I think the frames from Stitch Life Studio are a fun and attractive to dress up hoop art for quick finishing.
The frames are affordable enough, too, that they would make a great way to finish embroidery for gifts.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that Kacee will produce some winter / Christmas themed frames, too! Maybe something with snowflakes? Stars? Trees? Wouldn’t that be a fun way to display small Christmas embroideries?
Where to Find Them
You’ll find Kacee’s hoop art frames available in her Etsy shop, Stitch Life Studio.
If you’re ordering something that isn’t ready to ship, there’s a lead time for making and finishing your frame. Just remember that hand-made, custom items always take more time – it’s not Amazon!
If you’re placing a custom order, you might message Kacee to find out exactly what the lead time is, especially if you’re thinking in terms of a gift for a specific occasion.
I hope you enjoy taking a look at her shop – I think it’s a really fun idea, it’s a well-made and well-finished product, and the service is impeccable. There’s no affiliation – I’m just happy to recommend her to you!
Well! The more options the better, say I! I am drawn to the simple scallop and the floral wreath frames and have made a mental note for future projects. Truly a charming take on a low stress frame. Bravo your creativity, Kacee and thanks for the tip, Mary!
Blessings,
Linda
What a brilliant idea! For some reason I can’t seem to reach any Etsy pages at the moment, but I will definitely check out her shop. The only problem tends to be that postage from the US to the UK is rather high, and then there’s import duties and handling fees 🙁 – they look as though they’re worth it though!
Thank you, Mary, for this framing tip! It is genius and the quality of the frames seem to make it perfect for gifting a needleart project.
Now that’s a clever idea! Thanks for sharing Mary.
OMG! Kacy is a genius. I am not a fan of the ‘hoop as a frame,’ that is so popular right now. I think an ordinary hoop, with its screw piece attached takes away from some really beautiful pieces of embroidery I have seen. But this! This is ingenious and a beautiful way to show off and ‘finish’ a piece of embroidery art.
What a great idea and the first stitched piece, the kaleidoscope, the frame looks like it was custom made for the piece!
**oh shoot…Kacee I mean…
Oh thank you Mary! I am currently working on a house blessing for my
friend and it is a replica of a PA Dutch hex sign – something that is significant
for her family. I was wondering how to have it framed and this looks
PERFECT.
The last combination is incredibly striking! I’ve seen some beautiful wooden frames lately but had no idea that they could be interchangeable. I think the elastic on these hoop frames is such an amazing idea! I don’t have a lot of display space, or much in the way of a framing budget, so most of my finishes get stuck in a drawer for Some Day. This would be such a better way to enjoy them now and I love that the decision isn’t permanent! Thanks so much for sharing these Mary 🙂
These are fabulous. Unfortunately living in the UK makes buying these prohibitive due to the high import tax I’d have to pay on top. I wish her well with these and look forward to seeing more of them.
Dear Mary
I love these decorative hoop frames for displaying embroidery projects they are so pretty, I can just see a group of my projects in hoops displayed on my wall they would look lovely and so versatile and as you say they would make great gifts. Thanks for sharing with us these lovely hoop frames from Stitch Life Studios and for the links.
Regards Anita Simmance
How thick are these frames!? What gorgeous stitching:)
I will freely admit that I am still not on that bandwagon … yet. The pieces look unfinished and temporary … and dare I say “cheap?” There are some **very** lovely more formal-looking Framing Hoops. I’ve seen regular hoops that have been painted or covered with pearls. They are disabusing me of the “cheap” idea!!
But a couple of days ago, a Russian stitcher that I follow on Instagram, showed a 2-piece frame that the hoop fits **inside** https://www.instagram.com/p/CTH6c1ItV5Q/?utm_medium=copy_link should take you to the entry. Her handle is elkina_julia in case it doesn’t. I am enthralled with this idea, and have gone on a quest to see what’s out there.
I like the ease of framing pieces in a hoop. That is very attractive, but like you, the other half of my brain says “must be framed!!” Glass or no-glass is a whole nother question!!