Mats are used by a lot of stitchers to give an extra border to their framed projects. They are usually made of heavy cardboard and can be purchased at JoAnn Fabrics or any other craft store. The term 14ct ivory refers to the type of Aida cloth used on a project. It has 14 squares to the inch when stitching. Aida cloth comes in many different counts and these determine the size of the picture. other types of fabric used are linen, Laguna and Jobalan. Click on the Cross stitch fabric link on the left here and you will see many types of fabric that cross stitching can be done on.

The pattern you show is a kit by Dimensions Inc. The kit includes everything to do the project except the mat and frame.

Mats can be helpful if you need to use glass with the framing. The fabric can't touch the glass, or it may get mildew. Without a mat, framers use these square clear plastic dowels they call spacers.

Reasons for using glass include things like: Risk of damage from pollutants or human contact, damage from sun or artificial light. UV or Museum Glass can help with the light problem.

Brief note on Count: Aida cloth ( a special weave) is counted by holes per inch. Linens & other evenweave are counted by threads per inch. Normally stitched over 2 threads, so you divide by 2 to find the number of cross stitches per inch.