How
To Find A Good Needlework Framer
Jan at Bay Stations Accents has
been in school in Scotland for the
past year and when she comes back
this year I don't expect that
she'll continue her framing
business. Given she's be doing my
personal framing for more than 30
years I'll be very sad, as I'm
sure many of you who are local
are. On my to-do list is to find a
new local framer to recommend but
it's way down my priority list at
the moment. So instead I thought
I'd write about how to find a good
needlework framer. I'm not going
to cover questions about their
sense of color or style since
those are general framing
questions.
Even if you find someone who
has been doing needlework framing
I think you should always ask
questions and if possible, see
some of their framed needlework. I
am a very picky customer when it
comes to framing so it has to been
completely square or I'm an
unhappy camper. Jan's attention to
detail in this regard was very
important to me. So, what to ask a
potential framer?
- What is the base they attach
the needlework to? What are the
other materials used?
I prefer acid-free
materials when at all
possible, especially what the
fabric is being wrapped
around. I do my own mounting
these days and I use acid-free
mat board glued/taped to
acid-free foam core. I almost
always use a colored mat under
my work since white isn't
always the best option.
Typically I use a dark green
or dark blue, especially on
pieces with open work. Any mat
on the top of the work is also
acid-free. And if I use glass,
it's Museum quality. Acid-free
reduces any possibility of
things leaching into your
fabric over time. Sometimes I
use a batting to give the
underside of the needlework
some depth (in place of the
mat board under it). For that
I use a good quality polyester
or cotton batting. You can
always ask a quilt shop what's
the best to buy if you want
something more archival
quality. Many framers won't
have used batting so might not
be familiar with it - so it's
a conversation to have with
them.
- How do they attach the
needlework to the base?
If they mention sticky
backed board, run away, very,
very fast. Granted it has it
uses for craft projects, even
for things like tiny
ornaments, but if you're
spending the money on framing,
do not let sticky backed board
get near your work. Not only
is it not good for the
stitching to come in contact
with it, over time it will
lose its hold and the project
will buckle. When we were
first open 18+ years ago one
of our now long time customers
loaned us her Dutch
Beauty
sampler to hang as she
didn't have room. After a year
we noticed the fabric was
sagging in the frame so we had
Jan take it apart to fix it.
She came over livid that the
framer had stretched this
masterpiece of a sampler onto
sticky backed board. Getting
it apart was a job but one we
were happy to pay her to do to
thank the customer for the
loan (thanks Anna-Marie!). My
point is, sticky backing has a
very limited use but not for
good quality needlework.
My preferred method of
attaching work to the foam
core is stainless steel pins
and I learned this from Jan.
Stainless Steel doesn't rust
so you can safely leave it in
the side of the work (they go
through the fabric into the
side of foam core). Very few
pins are made from stainless
steel, most are nickel plated.
I use Dritz
Silk Pins or Bohin Stainless
Steel pins, we sell both
but you can find the Dritz
ones in many fabric stores.
Even with the pins in the side
I either lightly lace or use
acid-free tape to hold the
back fabric in place. If you
use just lacing to hold the
work, which you can do, it
many times puckers the fabric
and over time can do a serious
number on the fabric due to
the tension on it. So I like
the stainless steel pin method
for a permanent hold that
won't pucker. If they want to
use tape alone it won't hold
over time as the glue will
eventually lose its hold, so
it needs a more permanent
method.
-
How do they align the
project?
For my own work I put
basting lines in my fabric
where the edge of foam core
would be, so I know I've
stretched it straight onto the
foam core/mat board backing. I
just use sewing thread in a
color I can see and can easily
remove (don't use floss since
it can leave a residue when
you pull it out). I rarely do
this with needlepoint since
typically I'm wrapping it at
the edge of the stitching
anyway. But you want to make
sure the framer understands
the importance of getting it
completely square. You don't
want to get it back and find
it's off 2 threads from top to
bottom, unless that doesn't
bother you - as you can guess,
it bothers me :-).
-
If they use glass, do they
use spacers and what type of
glass?
I rarely use glass
personally but there are times
when it's the right option.
Make sure that they are using
spacers so that the glass does
not sit directly on the
stitching. If you have a mat
between the stitching and the
glass you might not need
spacers unless the stitching
is very tall and would touch
the underside of the glass.
For heirloom quality work, use
Museum glass, which is very
clear. It's more expensive but
well worth it for those
special pieces.
-
Do they block your work if
it needs it?
It is very rare that a
framer will block needlework
since it involves a whole
other skill set. But ask them
if they do blocking and find
out more about how they do
that if they indicate they
offer that service. Since most
won't, you might need to send
it to a finishing service to
have it blocked before taking
it to the framer. For
individual pieces that look
like they need blocking, talk
to the framer first to see if
they think blocking is
required. If it's slightly out
of shape it might not since
the mounting base will help it
keeps its shape. However if
it's seriously out of square
blocking would likely be
required.
-
How do they store your
project?
While you might not think
this is important, I believe
you also want to know how your
work is being stored before
it's being framed. If it's
crumpled up in some corner,
perhaps you need another
framer. If they wrap it up in
tissue to keep wrinkles away
and store it in a clean
storage container, you might
have more confidence in the
rest of their work as well.
-
What do they charge and
what is the turn around time?
I didn't start with this
since I think the other
questions are more important
to flesh out first. Custom
framing is never inexpensive.
And just because a framer
charges a lot does not mean
they will do a good job with
needlework. So once you've
determined that they might be
a good framer for your
projects, then is the time to
find out the price of the
work. Most framers will charge
for mounting the work in
addition to the actual
framing. It's the mounting
work that's really the hard
part for needlework so don't
be shocked at seeing an extra
charge for that. They might be
able to do quick jobs or they
might take a couple of months,
but finding that out ahead of
time is also useful.
If you feel comfortable with
the framer and are not able to see
samples of their needlework
framing, take them something you
aren't as worried about to do as a
first one. And if they are not
willing to listen to constructive
criticism, find someone else. This
needs to be a two way street for
awhile until you're confident in
them.
Another option is to learn how
to do the mounting work yourself
and then only have the framer do
the frame and putting it all
together. This is in fact what I
do these days (granted I've not
had much to frame of late since
I've not finished as many projects
as I'd like). I do private lessons
on this occasionally for people
who want to learn. Hopefully when
my life settles down a bit I'll do
a video on this part.
For those of you who don't mind
sending your work away to get
framed I can recommend Deb at
Stitchville USA in Minneapolis, MN
and Sandy at Attic Needlework in
Mesa, AZ. Both do really great
needlework framing work. Many
other needlework shops around the
country have their own framing
department so that's another
avenue to check out.
I hope you find this helpful
information for finding a good
framer for your work. Don't be
afraid to ask questions - your
needlework projects deserve the
best!
Happy Stitching!
Cathe (June 2016)
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