I’ll just let that one sit with you for a moment.
Closer look?
Are there words to describe the sheer tear-soaked devastation I felt on receiving my precious, sweated and slaved-over Swans from my framing lady, completely smashed?
I mean, can you handle the drama? It’s like Eastenders Xmas Special. Or something.
I came home on Tuesday (18th) night to find my framed piece in the kitchen. Nervous and excited I carefully started to slice open the well-packed and layered parcel. Then I heard it. Like Sleigh bells but more ominous. Tears were shed. Many many tears.
The good news was that the actual embroidery was miraculously undamaged. But the mount and frame were pretty lacerated, and obviously, after killing myself to get it ready for the deadline and to be able to deliver it to my client on Xmas Eve, this was now not going to happen. I cried again.
It was 9pm by this point so I emailed the lady who had done the finishing for me (the stretching and literally invisible stitching she had done to attach the doily to the wool backing fabric was completely perfect by the way). “What can we do?” I wailed, “When do you think it can be redone for?” and other expletives cursing the negligent couriers (clearly they had dropped and/or kicked it).
I went to bed, heartbroken.
Next morning, on the bus. 7.30am my phone rings. It’s Sara (the lady of which I speak). She says how horrible a thing to have happened and how awful I must feel. I agree. She tells me she has had a quick chat with her husband and decided what she will do is have the framer make another frame, then she WILL DRIVE UP FROM NORFOLK TO LEEDS ON SATURDAY AND REFRAME IT IN MY KITCHEN.
I am overwhelmed. This is a car journey of about 3 hours – 142 miles. She will leave at 6am and be with me about 9am, we will sort it, do not worry, you cannot possibly have done all that beautiful work and have it all come undone at the last moment, she says. I nearly weep again.
I mean, talk about customer service. I am now a customer for life. She literally saved the day. I felt like weeping again.
(follows are few pics of de-glassed, stretched swans ready for new frame – you can see some the embroidery detail better, some of the different colours and sheen)
So there we were, in my kitchen the last weekend before Christmas, armed with hoover and clean paintbrush, gently easing out the billions of grains of glass dust, before a very lucky only-3-attempts to fit it back in the new frame without getting those annoying little bits of fluff stuck between the mount and the glass. 90 minutes of effort, and it was literally good as new.
madebymothereagle.com 
I commiserate! And know what that feels like. I sent a large painting (rolled up) to Germany last year. It made it to Germany, but got sent back because I used my girlfriend’s name but sent it to her boyfriend’s place, and since they are not married and she is not legally a resident of his flat, it came allll the way back to me in Oz.
The entire long, narrow box had been FOLDED IN HALF. The painting had a line of crinkles and cracks right down the center.
There is a special place in my invoked hell reserved for the worthless postmen/couriers who treat other people’s stuff this way. Simply because they are anonymous and can’t be singled out. If I can’t murder the one who did this, I’m almost mad enough to want to execute the lot of them, just to be sure I get the one that did it.
There. Rant over. I still get worked up every time I think about it! LOL
Oh Nat. So sorry that you have have artwork do battle and lost! What a-holes! It’s so bad. And the lovely lady had paid for a signature-on-delivery but obviously the courier could hear the smashed glass and just left it there. I consider myself very lucky embroidery was unscathed.
That lovely framing lady is my mum! I had already heard the story but was still rather close to tears as I read this!!
Your mum is an absolute legend in my house!
what a rollercoaster. Someone really should give the couriers a major taling to. So glad it all came to a very happy ending. What a special lady.
Hope all is calm and peace now.
Oh my goodness! I was so close to weeping (from both anguish and joy) at this story. Your framer is unbelievable, what a kind soul! So happy it worked out for you. Happy new year! :)
Happy new year Mei-ling! She is a special lady – I forgot to add her website details so anyone else reading this might benefit too! It is http://www.sarabarnsneedlework.co.uk