Framing silk gauze

Yep. I was sworn to secrecy some years ago by one of our members (whose name will not be revealed) that she had made some banners and (gasp!) hot-glued them around the hanger rods. She knew what she was doing, and wasn't particularly concerned that they might rot in 20 years; the main point was to get them hung NOW.

Anne i don`t think i am a snob , i just think [and have seen demages] glue ruins cloth too quickly ,,, even if my work won`t last for generations i still would like it to last some years, Another problem i have with glue ,, i lke fabric to be soft ,,, in it`s `natural` way .. in my [and many other fiberartists] debates with painters , i jst get shivers when they start speaking about the `structure` of the Canvass they have have Mumofied in glue and paint .If you want to embroider embroider ,,, if you want something else do it in another techinique . This said i know many artists who use glue and paint over cloth , and embroidery, one of the reasons is ALAS , to enhance it from the status of `Craft` into the status of art ,,,because that is how it is easier for Curators and Gallery owners to `push` it as art. yesterday in Um-El Fahem , in the Exhibition wer part of my work participates , there are many works of artists who work just this way , with glue and paint over cloth ... Because some of their teachers pushed that idea knowing how it was easier for Curators to accept it .. several of the Fiber Artists who gt more shown are those who combine paint and paper into their work ,, You will find that painters who glue some threads or `some stiches over their canvasses are favoured over artists who use only cloth , no paint ... Thus for me using glue is giving in on my ideas about my art ... i will rather notshow than change my art into something that isn`t me.

mirjam

One of the important issues my wonderful teachers in PIA in BU told me was Because fiber is soft , think about HOW to show it before you start , include the way it is shown as intergal into the work as possible .. And this gold rule has guided my work ever since ,,, No frames no glues when i start my work , thread after thread , stich after stich woven weft after weft , i already have thought about this and solved it No glue no harmful stuff ,,, mirjam

Mirjam Bruck-Cohen said

No, you're an artist who creates original work. IMNSHO, this is quite different from those of us who stitch for the love of stitching.

Since last we typed, I attended another EGA meeting. One of the women brought a very striking piece for show and tell. Sarah had mounted a hand embroidered circular coaster that had been given to her as a gift on textured foil paper that she had found in a scrapbooking department. When I asked her if she had used glue to attach the fabric to the paper, people either gasped or burst into laughter. After Sarah indignantly said that she had very carefully stitched the coaster to the paper, quite a few women told me privately that they had, in fact, used glue once or twice.

But wait there's more

After saying that she had stitched the fabric to the paper, Sarah very proudly announced that she had bought the frame in WalMart for $3.00 ... I thought it rather humorous that her strict adherence [pun intended] to the no glue rule was offset by her frugality.

That does not make one a snob. I truly feel if you can stitch it, rather than glue it, you have served at least one end: you will have learned to control needle, thread, fabric. Four years ago I made a lampshade of silk and muslin. Nothing on it was glued because I wanted to be able to wash it. That decision didn't make me a snob.

On the other hand, I have glued fabric to containers used as pin cushions. There's no way to stitch fabric to metal.

I use glue when the situation calls for it. I stitch for the same reasons. And why is stitching as opposed to frugality odd?

You do lovely, creative works of embroidery. Let's not get into name calling. I rather understand what you mean, but it serves no purpose other than to offend.

Dianne

anne wrote:

As I understand it, it's not the stitching versus frugality that's odd. It's the slavish adherence to a rule (don't use glue under any circumstances) versus spending very little (and perhaps not getting nice quality) to frame something that someone spent that much time on. At least that's how I understand it.

And I don't think Anne is calling people who stitch everything snobs. She's calling snobs those who refuse to use glue even when the situation warrants it. At least that is what I have understood. It's not namecalling for no purpose, it's pointing out that glue has its uses.

Elizabeth

And who decides when the situation warrants it? Lampshades are often glued. I chose to take the time to sew it all. What a pain that was!

That wasn't clear in the original post. Not clear at all. Dianne

But your stated reason was so that you could wash it, not because it would have been "unacceptable" to use glue. That makes you not a snob, while someone who would have sewn it just to avoid using glue might be called a snob.

Ok. I thought it was, but we all see things differently.

Elizabeth

I agree with Dianne about the washing possibilities , As to the cheapness or not of a frame i have no opinion , i usual sew works with left over cloth that matches some how the work , and continues the idea and is an intergal part of the work , it is an edge that keeps it from unfreying , not a frame to imprison the eyes onto the work ,,, I have a colleague who for years made wide cloth frames to her works , coming from painting , it seemed the `right` way for her. But slowly her `frames got smaller and now her works Flow outwards .. and it is wonderful ,, mirjam

Dr. Brat said

If y'all go back up in the thread, you'll see that I said the piece was 'striking.' Sarah did a great job presenting the piece; iow, the frame looked great even though she hadn't paid much for it. The juxtaposition of the two elements (rules and frugality) tickled my warped sense of reality.

Thanks for clarifying my thoughts ;-) It wasn't my intention to point a finger at anyone here. Rather I attached a label to those who wouldn't use glue or an adhesive coated backing board merely because stitching gurus have said that just isn't done when finishing a project to be framed.