The Framers Forum

Luckily we were able to sew calico extensions on and lace it - it's almost 3ft square.

Moulding is Simons PHOE 01 with artcare 20x5mm foam board spacers.

Very neat and tidy lacing, must have took some time.I tend to loose my rag when lacing really big stuff.

what on earth is in the oil drum?

That's by Grayson Perry, the Turner Prize winner, for your information.

Thanks for that info, Pramsay13.
So who is Scarfe then

I lace big things like this in stages (as did the person who actually did it ), cut the thread every 8" or so, start again from those points and join with reef knots on the way back. Didn't take that long - about 40 mins; the extensions were sewn on by one of our 'girls' who does alterations and repairs for all the dry cleaners in the area, would have taken her a few mins.

The oil drum (which is from the body shop and was for some smelly concentrate stuff) is my glass waste bin.

Sorry 'bout the spelling - one of those words you (wel, I) rarely use and just take a stab at.

I am lucky to have a very good alteration shop 3 or 4 doors up, the lady who runs it does these little sew bits on jobs for a few pounds.

Afternoon,

We've just had our first Silk brought in. It's a one off by an artist, though not as valuable as a Grayson Perry. It's 3ft and the client wants it framing in a similar style, up to the frame edge with spacers.

You mention that "fortunately you could sew Calico extensions on." We're wondering what you would have done if this wasn't the case? Any options that don't involve piercing the fabric? Also what the advantages are of sewing it rather than using T-pins.

As it's our first silk we'll be experimenting on some cheap silk before touching the actual one. When using new techniques I like to know the pros and cons to help understand the best options.

Cheers

If we couldn't have sewn extensions on and laced it then pinning may have been an option but that would have reduced the image size; there would have been less pink border as it would have to be wrapped around the back of the mounting board. As it was the edge was hemmed and that hem is all that is under the glass spacer and is what the extensions were sewn on to. Pinning does not lend itself very well to close framing like this as the pins have to be concealed under the spacer, or the lip of the frame if there is no spacer, but it's do-able.

If the scarf was not to be pierced at all then the 'tight fit' method would have been an option, but with that method you need an aperture mount, then there's the Direct Contact Overlay method with Abrasion-Resistant acrylic, but again that's best with an aperture mount and I'm not keen on the method anyway. A padded sink mount is another idea, polyester quilt wadding would provide some grip and also give a nice 'cushioned' look, but again - aperture mount.

Advantages of lacing (sewing?) over pinning with 'T' pins? What sort of 'T' pins? There's a chance of the cut end rusting, unless you can find stainless steel ones.

Also when pinning, once you have two sides pinned it can't be adjusted without removing and re-inserting pins and when you stretch it the other way, you can only move it in the centre and not along the already pinned sides. When laced in one direction you can still adjust in both directions - in fact you could slide the whole mounting board out if you wanted to.

Pinning and the tight fit method are normally done with foam board, which does not have the same archival properties as conservation mount board.

If you have clients you have to be careful, they're far more fussy than customers!

All very helpful advice, Thank you. I should think we'll go with the lacing method and will let you know how we get along!