Textile Framing
Pure Framing provides textile framing services from Guild Certified Framer, Jo Ronald. Based near Carmarthen, providing framing services throughout Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and South Wales.
If you need a textile framing, you want to feel re-assured that the framer you entrust this work to will treat the item with care and use the correct materials and techniques to make sure that the item is not compromised or damaged.
Textile framing is a specialist area of framing. Fabric items need to be supported and where required, stretched correctly in order to make them look their best within the frame. All textile framing work done at Pure Framing is done using Fine Art Trade Guild approved methods and is reversible, so the item can be removed from the frame in its original condition at a later date if needed.
What type of Textiles can be framed at Pure Framing?
Textile framing covers anything made from textiles / fabric. The types of textile framing work covered at Pure Framing include:
- Embroidery Framing
- Cross Stitch Framing
- Needlepoint Framing
- Crewel Work Framing
- Appliqé Framing
- Quilting Framing
- Painted Fabric Art Framing
- Textile Art Framing
- Dyed Fabric Art (e.g. Batik Framing)
- Woven Fabric Art (e.g.Tapestry Framing)
- Multi-media Fabric Art Framing
- Decorative or practical fabric items (e.g. sports shirts, baby clothes)
What methods are used at Pure Framing for Textile Framing?
As with any framing, there are many ways of approaching it. Some methods are a lot better than others. At Pure Framing, the main concern is to make sure that the item I am framing for you is not altered in any way by the framing process. The most appropriate way of framing your item will be discussed with you and options for supporting your item could include:
- Lacing (the best method for lightly tensioning fabric over a support board)
- Tight Fit – suitable for silks or fine materials which may show “stress marks” if tension is applied.
- Pinning
- Stitching to a support cloth or board
There are other ways, such as gluing, taping or using commercial plastic tabs, but these methods are more risky in terms of damaging the textile and may not be reversible, so are not used at Pure Framing.
How should I prepare my Textile before bringing it for Framing?
You need to bring the textile already prepared for framing. As a Framer, it is my job to protect and display the artwork. I do not get involved in any cleaning or tidying up of the textile prior to it being framed, so if there is any dirt, damage or stray stitches, you need to deal with these first. If it is an historic textile, then please see Conservation Framing and I can put you in touch with a professional who can help you with this.
I have prepared this checklist to help you, to make sure that your textile is ready to accept for framing.
Textile Framing Checklist
If there are visible stains or dirt that you are not happy to live with, then you should clean it using an appropriate method before bringing it in for framing. If you are not sure what method is suitable for your particular fabric then please check prior to doing any cleaning (there is plenty of advice online). If your item is valuable in any way, please get in touch with me to discuss using a textile conservator to carry out this work on your behalf.
The textile may have been stored folded up, or if it is needlepoint, the embroidery hoop mark might be visible. If so, you will want to consider getting the item pressed prior to framing. As with cleaning a textile, you should proceed with caution as damage can easily be caused if done incorrectly. You will be able to find advice for your particular type of fabric and threads online.
A good way to do this is to hold the piece up to the light. You should fill in any missing stitches, and cut and sew in travelling stitches so that they do not cause the piece to become mis-shapen when it is stretched for framing.
Long loose threads may show at the front of the piece once it is framed. These can be hidden by using a needle to carefully pull them under an area of coloured thread that will hide them.
These can carefully be removed with tweezers.
