Framing silk gauze

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Thanks Fran for those suggestions. I want to frame this piece but without a mat. I was thinking about putting some padding on a piece of foam core and covering it with background material. I wasn't sure what to do next. I didn't know if I could lace the gauze itself. So maybe I should add some fabric to the edges first before trying to lace it.

I like your method of finishing miniature rugs!

Mavia

2 of the 25 artists , participating in the new exhibition , submitteed Embroideries , Both have no wish to frame it, which rather pleased me.

mirjam

I did the unthinkable with a small Crossed Wings piece. I hot glued it to a piece of clear plastic cut to the size of my frame. I know glue of any kind is a no-no with stitching but I really wanted it to have a suspended in mid air look. If the frame had been square I might have been able to come up with a different way of doing it but it was a small one with an arched opening. Beverly B

I agree...some embroideries look good...even better unframed. Because this is a portrait I think an oval shaped frame would look good. How to go about fastening it to the foam core was my problem.

Mavia

I like to mount some pulled thread and blackwork pieces on those metal rings of various sizes one can find at craft stores. I got the idea from a hardanger magazine. I coat the rings with a couple of coats of clear nail polish first. I baste it first then button hole stitch over it and cut away the excess fabric. Makes nice window hangers. Also nice hung from ceiling hooks or wall mounted plant hangers Must do one for myself one of these days. LOL! ruby All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no Attention to criticism.

Yeah, the gauze itself is not strong enough nor tightly enough woven to pin or lace - you need the fabric. Unbleached cotton works well.

Spent all yesterday in the print shop working on the card catalog ,The embroideries looked very good on the cards. Photographing any kind of Fiber is problematic, or let`s say different than photographing stone /wood scupltures , or paintings. Not everyone who thinks he is a Photographer can give a good result. Framing has the same problematic. One HAS to remember that this is a PIECE of cloth , NOT a piece of Paper , not a canvas mumified with Glue and Paint , Cloth [and threads] have to Breath, to have slight movements that happen with humidity abd drieness ,,, If your intention is to keep it for posterity , put in a jar and bury it somewhere in the desert, But if you want people to look at it all this matting and framing takes away a great part of it Textilic look, It tries to convert it into a Painting,, if you want to have a painting , go paint it !!!! , waht i love about xst work , is the seeable movements of the hand, the moods that made the person one day pull tighter and one day work looser. i like uneven canvasses. The big xst you see in Museums , rae uneven , you see the person that worked on them, trying to work even . When a Contemporary embroidered embroideres or xst`s , he /she should ask him/her self , what is the goal i work for ? just to spend time in a nice way and hamg so,ething on the wall? to recreate an Old time craft ? to leave some of my handwork for next generations ? Several years ago i sat working on my Piece "Tirah Porahat" , while flying to Belgium, This work combines xst +applique + some parts of free canvas , A woman sitting next to me looked and said horrifies; Mrs . One DOES not xst like THAT !!' i explained it was an artwork , my own idea ,,, stc,,, she insisted it was NOT ALLOWED ??? But could not say who and where this Law was passed. No i won`t cover my work nore frame it , I will though represent it in a good manner suited to it`s nature.

--------- Insread of Foam , have you tried , Fuseable material that one uses in Collars ??? or another solution ? Why do you have to have foam under it? mirjam

When i use a ring , i first cover it with Bias ribbon in matching colors to my work , than either embroider or add what ever part i need to add to this , i have also knitted i cords for some rings ,, Nail polish ? no i won`t do that , in some weather condition this will consume the cloth from within.

Foam core is one of the types of boards that needlework is streatched over, whether it's framed or finished in another technique. The 'foam' is sandwiched between two hard surfaces. Because I think needlework on gauze looks best when raised a bit I will put some padding behind the fabric that will cover the foam core. I'll also use Fran's suggestion of sewing additional stronger material to the edges of the gauze before I lace it.

Mavia

A woman sitting next to me looked and said horrifies;

A long time ago I had to come to terms with the fact that I was xstitching as a hobby and had to work hard to quell the part of me that wants to make it "perfect". I used to avidly read RCTN years ago where people told me that the way I stitched was wrong (I do the "traditional" method of completing the X rather than the "danish" method of making an entire row/section of one / then going back and completing the other \ ) I killed myself trying to force my stitch style into the danish method. It sucked out all the joy I had in stitching. I gave up and now I stich in hand, traditional style, no washing of anything before or after and I even start new projects in the upper left corner rather than in the middle (the horror!). I am much, much happier for it.

It all sounds good to me. You Go Girl !!!

Lucille

>

I end up doing whatever seems appropriate at the time to the item. If there is a large area of color at or near the center, I start there, sometimes trailing up or down to follow that color. If it's small enough that I can tell/count where the outer-most stitches will be and leave me in the middle of the fabric, I may start at the upper left corner, usually stitching in the "danish" method, but there most often are a few areas or individual stitches that are completed in the "traditional" method. And a tree in the middle of a field scene may be done "danish" p and down, while the field is done left to right. As long as the front looks good, and there aren't a lot of floats in the back, I'm happy. If someone wants to look at the back and find fault, I guess they have too much time on their hands, or nothing better to do. Happy stitching!

-- Carey in MA

good point about the nail polish, I had not thought of that. Does bias ribbon make it look bulky ??? I wish someone would make some nice sturdy plastic rings or If I could just find a source for stainless steal ones. My problem with the metal ones I find in the craft stores is they rust over time and by coating them I am able to wash them to refresh them when needed. Will definitely have to find an alternative to nail polish perhaps the hardware store would have a solution some sort of a plastic coating I could apply. ruby All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no Attention to criticism.

I like to put a think layer of quilt( cotton) patting behind all my needlework,that I frame, not enough to make it look puffed but just to take the flat look away. ruby All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no Attention to criticism.

I must admit i have been doing it [over lamp frames , over rough ropes etc] for sommany years that my coiling has become very delicate , but ui will give you a tip , start with a regular ready made bias ribbon , if you think it is too bulky , cut it length wise into 2 or even 4 ,,, it still keeps it`s good qualities , but enables you to do a very delicate work ,,, like everything else it is a matter of practice ...try till you find the way you like it. Go to shops that sell Decoration stuff ,, Curtains etc,,, Go to shops that deal with Agricultural or fishery stuff ,,, walk shops that specialize in many other things , you might be syurprised at what you might find there ,, and best advice i can give you ,, try to make the most of what you can find at home , about ... Slice plastic bottles for rings,,, etc.... i have a nice collection of coloures p[lastic rings , that are seprated from the bottom part of the lids ,,, they are soft [ cat loves to play with them] but if you use 2-4 together wrap them with a bias ribbon they become quite strong ,, [ and saved earth from some other dirty plastic ] If you need plastic coating , use the same thing they put over papers . mirjam

If the foam is sandwiched between 2 hard surfaces , What is the point in doing it at all ??? mirjam v>

This is what I mean by foam core or foam board as this manufacturer calls it.

foam gives it thickness but doesn't add a lot of weight. It also makes it easy to pin the fabric on the sides when mounting needlework.Mavia

Beverly B said

You pushed one of my hot buttons when you said glue was a no-no. It really gets to me when what I deem snitching snobs carve rules in stone!

Quite a lot of the things many of us stitch are going to be tossed in the rubbish pile by our surviving kin so why should we worry about using materials that allegedly will last forever?