Fabric Art

Get help and framing advice from the framing community
Post Reply
fionna_e
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat 25 Dec, 2010 7:31 pm
Location: New Eltham, South London
Organisation: Home
Interests: Prop making, Scenic Art

Fabric Art

Post by fionna_e »

I have a piece of fabric art that I am framing for a colleague. She is aware that i cannot guarantee it but I want to do my best with regard to protecting the art.

Therefore I am requesting advice as to :

how to hold the fabric in place on the backing board
and where might I buy UV plexiglas or something like this.
Thanks

fionna
Roboframer

Re: Fabric Art

Post by Roboframer »

Welcom to the forum, Fionna.

What is it, a cross stich, embroidery, needlepoint etc, and how big?

If it has spare fabric around the design then it can be laced on to conservation quality mount board and then a double mount (at least) or something to keep it away from the glass. If it does not have spare fabric and the whole thing is to be shown, then it can be float mounted by support sewing and then either window mounts or a rebate spacer.

Wessex Glass & Mirror do a range of UV filtering products including acrylic. http://www.wessexpictures.com/glass_mirror1.html
fionna_e
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat 25 Dec, 2010 7:31 pm
Location: New Eltham, South London
Organisation: Home
Interests: Prop making, Scenic Art

Re: Fabric Art

Post by fionna_e »

It is originally Indian, painted cotton. I am planning a window size of 15"x22". The fabric size being approx 16"x23".
Where do you recommend buying conservation quality mount board? And what about the backing board? Should it have any special qualities? Can you explain what you mean by 'lacing'?
Thanks for your help
fionna
Roboframer

Re: Fabric Art

Post by Roboframer »

If you go to 'products' in the link I posted, you'll find all the boards you can think of.

Lacing - in a nutshell - cut a piece of board larger than the image - centre it on the back of the fabric, temporarily held in place with pins, fold the excess fabric around the board and lace two sides together with something like crotchet cotton, like a corset, and then the other two sides. Don't tighten (stretch) as you go, put the lacing in place, tie off and then tighten on the way back and tie off the other end.

Trouble is you haven't really got enough spare fabric, but you could sew extensions on with calico, or use a different method like pinning to foam board. Cut and centre as above but then put pins ('T' pins are best) through the fabric and in to the sides (cut ends) of the foam board.

As for backing - once stretched/mounted, protect the back with another sheet of conservation quality board and then the frame backing, which could be foam board or 'Art Bak' type boards - most would use MDF though.

Quite a few professional framers don't like stuff like this - why not save some aggro and get one that does to frame it for you?
User avatar
prospero
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue 05 Jun, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Fabric Art

Post by prospero »

If you consider the piece a work of art of some importance, then it should not be perforated in any way. Of course given the nature of the beast, presenting it flat without some mutilation is not an easy proposition. If not totally impossible.

If it is a typical tourist souvenir, I would drymount it using DM Film. :P
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
Roboframer

Re: Fabric Art

Post by Roboframer »

I was thinking of something stitched; not painted, so forget my suggestion of support sewing!

But if the material outside of the image is considered as excess material then I wouldn't see anything wrong with piercing it with pins and/or a needle and thread - or even a tag gun, just as I wouldn't worry about applying adhesive hinges to paper borders.

You do have a small margin of material outside of the image, and piercing that, whether by sewing an extension on to lace or by pinning it to foam board, will have no effect on the actual image at all, it's blank fabric. Sticking the whole thing down, (Prospero's smiley noted) no matter what method or adhesive you use, would be the end of it.
fionna_e
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat 25 Dec, 2010 7:31 pm
Location: New Eltham, South London
Organisation: Home
Interests: Prop making, Scenic Art

Re: Fabric Art

Post by fionna_e »

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. I do consider the piece of some importance but do realise that i will have to pierce it.
And i apologise for not posting a reply sooner.
Thanks again
Fionna
Post Reply