Turning stitched pieces into wall hangings

The main reason I decided to learn how to sew was not to quilt. That was an accidental obsession. The main reason was because I wanted to do more with my cross stitch than small pieces and framed pieces. While I like bell pulls, not every piece is shaped right for bell pull, and sometimes you get one that just needs some framing (cloth, that is). This first piece was something I'd stitched about 20 years ago - and never got around to framing. Once I learned how to sew, I turned it into a wall hanging. The four ribbons at the top are loops, through which I'll stick a dowel for hanging. I will call this piece Fruit Basket - it's from a very old Just Cross Stitch magazine issue.

Here's a closeup of the stitching.



The back has no quilting - just the stitching around the edges. I used the "birthing a quilt" method to finish this.





This second piece was stitched in January and February of this year, and I did the "framing" two weeks ago. This is more like a quilt - I used batting, did some quilting in the ditches around the edges, and also used the "birthing a quilt" method to finish it off. The piece is called Desert Sunrise, and it's by Black Swan Designs. It has almost a hundred little beads that don't show up too well in the photos.







This is the back - I used muslin and did some straight stitching in the ditches around the edges.