Thank you for the wonderful responses.. I plan to watch a few YouTube videos as I may be confident to tackle something like this myself and my DH loves to make things out of wood too! Either way, I will be sure that it's framed and matted well considering it was made especially for me by my 82 year young mother! Definitely will get the non-glare glass - thank you Watson!

This is a pattern called Maggie the Messmaker and ironically there are so many references to each of our lives in this scene that she had to make it! It is definitely one of my favorites that she's made over the years. She has about 50 framed cross stitch pictures hanging in her home (most are very large Victorian style, Thomas Kinkaide, etc..) with the last count we added up a total of 90 or so that she's made including those given to family & friends. It's funny how she has the patience for Cross Stitch (I don't) and I love Quilting (she doesn't) and we both are always busy making something for one other :)

Oh - and she does sign each and every one so I will be returning it to her for her written blessing once it's framed.

Thank you all for looking and the wonderful feedback - I'll be busy this week deciding how to proceed!

Christine

It is gorgeous. I use to do counted cross stitch, all my 'stuff' is put away.

That is counted cross stitch???? Wow. Your Mom is the best!!

Hobby Lobby is where I usually go for framing. Last item I had framed there was a picture of James McMurtry, the singer.
While they are pricey they are good and I am very pleased.

I did a counted cross stitch several years ago and had it framed. I was told because it was needle work not to put in under glass or it would loose the depth. WRONG, I have always regretted not putting it under glass, now it is dirty and I have no way to clean it.

Oh No! Maybe search our friend Google to see how to deal with that? I've seen suggestions where you put a nylon (does anyone wear pantyhose anymore?) over the end of your vacuum hose and try to pick up the dust. But if it's actually stained you'd likely have to take it off the frame and gently wash it. Then you could put a piece of non-glare glass in your frame and have it all set!

Hope that's helpful!

Christine

Beautiful. A gift you will treasure forever.

i was also going to suggest framing it yourself with components from Michaels or JoAnns. You can even find wonderful old frames at either Goodwill or Salvation Army. With a little sprucing up they can be gorgeous.

I had a pastel portrait of my younger grandson done at Disneyland a little over a year ago. He helped me pick out a frame at the park before we boarded the train for home. Ours was the only roomette with a framed piece of art work in it!

I gave it to his parents, and it was placed in the trunk of my son-in-law's car. Hurricane Harvey visited us a couple of days later, and the portrait remained in the trunk of the car -- which floated a ways down the street in the flood waters -- for several days before the water subsided enough that the car could be cleaned out.

I very slowly and carefully peeled the portrait away from the glass and allowed it to dry. I took it to JoAnn's and worked with a professional framer there. I used a coupon I had gotten in the mail, which brought the cost way down from the original quote. The service was excellent. I got a couple of phone calls during the framing process to keep me informed of the progress and what steps they were taking.

There are some subtle missing pastel spots, and there is a wrinkle across the portrait which is noticeable only if you know it is there. That just adds to the charm of the portrait and makes it even more special. The memories of the trip are wonderful, and just as wonderful are the memories associated with the framed portrait.

I say take your piece of cross-stitch and frame it as elegantly as you can. This is a memory that you do not want to lose. And, by the way, using a larger frame with a thicker matte will raise the glass away from the stitched surface. Your embroidery will be protected from the normal dust and harmful rays of sunlight.

My brother did this professionally. He would have used two matts and the non-glare glass in a collage type frame.