Nancy L. Haydon

I wonder how many of you reflect on a certain project that you completed, and gave away as a present to someone special. What a shame you can't hold onto a part of that gift for yourself as well - to remember and celebrate the hours of stitching that you did in order to complete that gift.

Well, you can certainly keep that memory alive, by putting a photograph or scanned image in a scrapbook or photo album of every project that you complete. You can then build up a keepsake album that will give you and your family pleasure to look at for years to come.

All you have to do is to remember to take a photograph or computer-scanned image of every project that you complete and place each image into an album. It's simple. Or is it? Every time I look at a cross stitch magazine I see photos of proud cross stitchers holding their stitching trophies to the camera.

Many of them do not do their work justice. Usually, it's because camera-flash reflections on the glass of their framed stitchwork ruin any photograph. Also, people holding up their work for the camera often omit to iron their stitchwork first - so their trophy has fold-marks in the fabric, or is crumpled. And must they stand in front of their dustbins or kitchen sink when they are displaying their work to the camera? Backgrounds can be very distracting.

OK, enough of the criticism. Here's the checklist for taking a great photo of your finished stitching:

1. Make sure your work is ironed carefully (on the back) and that any stains are removed.
   
2. Many compact digital cameras have the facility to turn off the flash function. Do this, if possible. This is important, especially if you have framed and glassed over your work. You do not want a flash going off, even if your work is not framed. The flash facility can distort the colours by making some brighter than others.
   
3. Find a suitable place outside. Ideally, you will want to take your picture on a bright, dry day. Find a surface that can act as a plain background, with no shadows. A plain painted wall perhaps.
   
4. Choose a good time - a bright day, with plenty of natural light. If you are going to include a person in the shot who is holding the stitched work, make sure that he or she is not squinting into the sun.
   
5. You will need to keep the camera still, in order to avoid blurring when you take the picture. If you don't have a tripod, consider using a step ladder or other construction that will allow you to stand the camera on it to avoid any movement when you take the picture.
   
6. Consider the composition of your picture. Do you want to capture the picture of a person with the stitched item, or just the stitchery itself? If a person is holding the picture, is there a large thumb obscuring an essential feature of the picture? Is the person holding the picture level, or is it tipped to one side? Remember that people can be very vain when they are having their pictures taken - even if the picture is supposed to be all about the stitchery. So if the person holding your prized work is grinning and showing spinach between their front teeth, or if their hair is haywire, do please tactfully draw attention to these facts, and put them right.
   
7. If you're using a digital camera, remember that there's no extra charge for taking lots of shots. Experiment, and see what turns out best. If you take 30 shots slightly differently, you stand a much better chance of getting one good picture. Good luck!

I mentioned a 'scanned image' earlier. If you have a scanner that works alongside your computer, then this may be useful to record your stitching treasures, especially if you do not have a camera. You may scan your piece of work and save it as a file on your computer, or print it out -- although you must remember to use photographic paper to print it on. Ordinary inkjet paper is not appropriate for pictures whether scanned or photographed.

When you have some pictures of your stitched items, don't forget to display them -- either in a photo album, or if you're really creative, why not create a wonderful scrapbook themed on your stitching. This could be the start of a new hobby. You won't regret spending time making sure that you capture your stitching treasures for future pleasure.