budget matting/framing?

[BeckyScott]

I am trying to do this as cheap as possible without it looking cheap.

I just finished a cross-stitch and will need to have it matted and framed.

It is an odd size. What it is, actually, is a to-scale Monopoly board. So it's big and square and I will never find a matt or frame pre-made to that size. But it needs to be matted and framed for it to "work".

We don't have any crafty stores in town but I can wait a while until I can get to one, if it would be my best bet. Or if there is a good online source, like if I sent the measurements?

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Every other week, Michael's stores usually do a 50% off framing order coupon, so I usually wait for that. You said you don't have any crafty stores near you, though - so no Michael's ? Have you done an online search? I don't know if matting and framing is the kind of thing many business do through the mail, but it wouldn't hurt to check. You could also purchase a matte cutter and do it yourself. Its not difficult, I remember cutting my own mattes in college for my photography class. Good Luck!

 

[JanB]

At craft stores such as Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc, you can purchase Sectional Frame Kits. You can also find them online, like the link below. (Disclaimer --- I found this site just now simply by googling Sectional Frame Kit. I've never purchased from them.)

http://www.frameplace.com/uframe.htm

So if your finished item is to be framed at 24" by 26", you purchase one package that contains two 24" sections and one package that contains two 26" sections. These typically come in whole-inch increments (no half-inch measurements). I've only ever seen them in metal. You assemble the frame yourself, which saves you quite a bit of money over a custom frame. You would still need to come up with the glass and the mat --- either have them custom-cut, or make them yourself.

I have used these frames on several occasions, and I do like them a lot. The finished look is a clean, contemporary look. If you're looking for wood or anything fancier, then this probably isn't a solution.