As promised, today I am showing you how I mounted my finished love birds cross stitch to the MDF coaster.
I apologise in advance for my photos, I really need to get someone to take the photos for me rather than trying it myself - that or try out a video tutorial!
What I use...
Nail file (or sandpaper)
White paint
Sponge brush (or paintbrush)
Paintbrush for glue
PVA glue
Watered down PVA glue
Scissors
And most importantly your finished cross stitch piece
1. Remove the sticker. They annoy me so I do it, but it isn't necessary.
2. Sand down all the edges with your nail file or sandpaper. I know, it seems weird, but I always have a nail file in my pen holder as it is far more convenient for crafting.
3. Using your sponge brush or paintbrush paint all the edges with white paint. I like to smooth the front and back where the paint pools so there are no bumps. For better coverage I do two coats.
4. Paint the front of your coaster white. Since I used white AIDA I don't want the brown MDF background showing through the holes.
5. I have done two coasters so you can see what the front and back look like. Allow this to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
6. Give the front a nice even coat of PVA. Remember it will soak into the AIDA and the floss a little.
7. Carefully position your cross stitch on your coaster. Try to line up the rows with the sides of the coaster. Avoid pulling at the AIDA as it will stretch out of shape. In the case of the love birds I lined up the branch first to make sure the stitching goes right to the edge of the coaster.
8. Once you are happy with the positioning you will need to press down on all sections of your cross stitch. Don't rub it, just keep pressing the AIDA down into the glue as it dries. Pay particular attention around your stitching as this is where the cloth lifts the most.
9. Once your PVA has dried and your cross stitch piece is glued in place, flip it over and give the back two coats of watered down PVA. This step is optional - I use Blu-Tack to hang these on the wall and have found if it isn't sealed the Blu-Tack will pull away a little layer of the MDF each time I try to move it.
10. Use your scissors to carefully trim the excess AIDA. I trim as close as I can, but you have to be careful not to cut into your coaster as you will ruin the painted edges.
11. As you can see it is now nicely trimmed with no frayed edges and the glue is holding it well.
12. This is a rather useless photo but it is an important step! You need to seal the edges so the AIDA and any cut stitches will not fray. Simply use your paintbrush to put a thick layer of PVA all around the edge - make sure you are getting both the AIDA and the coaster edge. Do two coats.
13. Again this is another useless photo where I was trying to show that I have used the PVA on all the edges and to prevent those stitches I cut from coming loose.
14. My piece is now ready to be added to my coaster wall!
I hope this tutorial helps you get creative with your cross stitch displays. Let me know if you need any more help, or if anything doesn't make sense.
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