In my search for finding alternate finishing ideas for cross-stitch, I discovered Patera Pendants from Nunn Design. These jewelry findings are hand-cast in the USA and made from 100% lead free pewter and then plated with precious metal finishes. The pendants come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I inserted my finished cross-stitch, in this case a motif from Lace Trellis, into the Patera and then covered it with DG3 Art Gel from Judi-Kins. The directions for the DG3 gel say to allow 24-48 hours of drying time. I guess fabric changes this, because it took about 5 days for mine to dry. I had pretty much given up on the idea, so I was surprised when I came back days later and found that it no longer looked like washed out paper, but had dimension from the stitches and the fabric itself. I added the remaining elements to create the necklace you see here. A note, the fabric did darken a bit during the process. I am rather new to the whole jewelry making trend, but found this to be a fairly simple process. I am now scouring through old miscellaneous bins to see what I can use in making more!! It is definitely a great gift making idea. Nunn Designs has a listing on their website for on-line vendors that carry their jewelry findings. You can find their website at http://www.nunndesign.com. I ordered mine from Country Stitches at http://www.countrystitchesonline.com.
Happy Monday!!
Beth
