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'Unique' stretcher bars

Last year at a local quilt show, I bought a Laurel Burch panel that said 'embellish the heck out of me' After a stitching marathon of baby designs, it spoke to me again "do me... do me."

When I looked at it, I decided that I didn't want to enhance the entire picture and pulled out several unused frames from my stash to see how much of the panel would fit in which frame. I decided on a 16 x 20 one and then rummaged around trying to find stretcher bars large enough to enable me to work the entire design.

When none were found, I had yet another AHAH! moment -- attach the fabric to the back of a ready made, appropriately sized frame. While tacking the fabric, I noticed that there was fabric overhanging each side that could inadvertently be stitched through. So I pulled these extras around to the back and tacked 'em down.

Mega AHAH time --- no framing will be required!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once the embellinging is finished, I'll reattach the fabric to the back of the frame and the fabric covered sides will be my finishing.

Here's a link that shows part of the design:

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Reply to
anne
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You are so clever! Happy stitching!

Cheryl

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

The frame as stretcher bars lasted just a few days. The metal thingies that held the corners together gave way, most likely due to frequent flipping and the age of the cheap frame; the unheated garage where it was kept for at least 2 years probably caused some of the wood's fragility too. OTOH, it wasn't a total loss -- I discovered that stretching fabric over the top and sides of a frame or stretcher bars is an attractive and cheap way to finish a piece.

Reply to
anne

I have a bucket it seems of stretcher bars, and lately have been acquiring the "Evertite" ones - which can be adjusted slightly so that as you've had a project on them, and it starts to loosen, rather than re-tack, you tighten a little hex head set screw, and the bars themselves move a bit.

So, Anne, I'm sure you'll let us know how your idea works out!

Ellice

Reply to
ellice

I took a needlepoint class once where we did this. It worked well, but there's a size limitation. If I recall, Sheena does something similar with her rugs.

Just as a thought, there's a technique where you can add carpet tacking along the frame. The canvas is stretched and lifted onto the tacks until taut, and then the ends of the tacks secured with foamcore strips. Probably wouldn't work well for anything lighter than rug canvas though. Dora

Reply to
bungadora

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