The solution

I told you I would come up with something ;-) This is how I ended up finishing the cross-stitch piece. It is to go in an album, so a frame wouldn't do, and if I were to mount it in a card it would be too big. So I ended up making it into a postcard by ironing it on to a piece of Fast2Fuse, adding a muslin backing and satin stitch around the edge. Not perfect, but finished! To show off the stitching properly I put it in my scanner, which makes it look a bit paler than it really is. And if the background looks a bit blotchy it is actually because it is stitched on a piece of hand dyed evenweave from Jayne's Attic. Lovely fabric, you'll just have to take my word for it ;-) Enough excuses for now - I'm quite pleased with it, and there's no turning back, as it is already on it's way to London... This means I can get back to my quilting. I have been out and about so much lately that my sewing machine is gathering dust where it sits neglected and sulking in the corner. Poor thing, it needs some company! It's not for lack of fabric either - I got some lovely loot from my latest trip and I have gathered all the colours I need for my house quilt, so I' ll start making small kits for myself to bring along wherever I'm going this summer. There is quite a lot of applique on this one, but one block at a time, and I'll be there eventually... I also bought some beautiful fabric in autumn colours that I can't wait to start using, but I'll have to come up with a pattern first. Something simple to show off the fabrics I think, hmm... must go and browse through some magazines and books .......