I've framed a few things, Elise. There are several ways to do this. My favorite way is to just purchase a contrasting color of mat board to place it on. Usually, this is thick enough to keep the piece in place without any attaching of some kind. Just lay the frame front side down on a table. Make sure that the glass is clean on the INSIDE. Also, make sure that your piece has been pressed or blocked so there won't be any bumps or bulges to mess with. Lay your piece front side down on the glass and center it (or not, of course it's your choice). Place the mat (which has been cut to the appropriate size) color side down over your crocheted piece, and press the metal pieces down over it. Voila!

Thanks Donna! That sounds easy enough! I was going to take it somewhere and have it done professionally but your way sounds lots cheaper!! ;o)

The piece is supposed to be square but it is really stretched at the corners. Would having it "blocked" help square it up? If so, where or how do I do that? Sorry! I am OBVIOUSLY not a crocheter!

Elise, the easiest way to block a small piece such as yours is to just place it on your ironing board and lightly spray it with water. Then push and pull it into the shape and size you want it to be. Place a clean cotton dish towel (not terry) over it and slowly move your heated iron (I like to use the steam setting, with water in the iron) over it to dry the water you sprayed on it. If it's made of acrylic you will want to be very sure that it is entirely covered with the towel, because if the iron touches the piece it will melt it. Lift the towel and inspect your piece. Spray a little more water and stretch it again if you need to. If it looks fine, just let it set on the ironing board for about 20 minutes or so just to make sure it is completely dry (wouldn't want any mold to grow inside the frame). Good luck!

I really do appreciate it!!

I have a doily that my cousin who has a framing shop helped me frame and this is the method we used:

Center the blocked doily on a mat board cut to the size of the frame and gently tack it in place with a thread of the same colour to keep it from slipping or losing shape (it's good to line up the doily and then make holes for the thread with a needle before tacking it in place, and then the ends of the thread are secured in the back with sticky tape). Then cut a hole in a second piece of mat board in a contrasting colour, a bit larger than the doily. Lay this on top of the first mat board to frame the doily. Take a third mat board of the same colour as the first one and cut it slightly bigger than the contrasting board and lay it on top to show a narrow band of the contrasting mat board. Then frame it. This means that the glass does not touch the doily and squash it down.

You can get mat boards in all sorts of colours and thicknesses in art supply stores, as well as cutters that cut at an angle for a professional look. If you use thin mat boards you can easily duplicate this look at home with a commercially bought frame.