Tapestry Framing

We deal with a lot of fabric items, mostly cross stitch, but over the years we have done a huge variety including silk scarves, batik and even a flat cap! 

Here is a tapestry that has just been completed and I thought I would share the technique.

Our overiding concern when we farme any fabric work is to make the framing process reversible and to use materials which will have no adverse affect on the item.  So we never use any staples, glues or self adhesive tapes to mount the work or come into contact with the work.

Here is the initial stage and you can see the tapestry has been stretched and laced over a piece of conservation mount board using mercerised cotton thread.

A box is then formed from strips of foam board which are slightly wider than the margin planned for the mount and these are secured to each other anchoring the tapestry in place.

The mount is then cut, aligned with the tapestry and the excess foam board trimmed away.

The frame can now be made and in this case the customer has chosen an oak veneer in a simple flat profile.  The package of tapestry and mountboard is then fitted into the frame which in this case has been glazed using  Water White Anti Reflective glass.

This final picture was taken with the glass in on a ceiling mounted camera with strip lighting overhead and still there are no detectable reflections!

Apparently this tapestry ws completed about twenty years ago but now it is framed to last and be enjoyed for a long time to come at around £80 including the special glass.



Rembrandt Pays a Visit!

Some canvasses in to framed this week from local artist Vanda Richards.  This amazingly is Vanda's first portrait!  It is an oil on canvas and just had to be framed in a classical style.

Back to Vanda's more usual style.  A couple of landscapes again oil on canvas.  For the sunset scene Vanda wanted a dark frame and for it to come right up to the painting but on the picture of the circling buzzards we argreed that a softer transition from the frame to the image was required.  This one has a liner moulding in a ivory colour which fits inside the main frame.

Vanda will be taking part in Rutland open Studios so do go along and see her work.  I am waiting to get a link for this event but will amend this post as soon as I have one.



Busy week!

The sun seems to have brought everybody out and so it has been a very busy week here.  Just time to show a few recent projects.

Firstly a large original oil painting by Garth Bayley.  Garth was looking for a wide frame but with a certain rustic simplicity and we came up with just what he was looking for and managed to get the moulding at a great price to bring it in at under £100. 

See more of Garth's work at http://www.garthbayley.co.uk/

Second of this week's examples from a collector of Urban Art and instantly recognisable as a piece by Faille.  We have float mounted this print and framed in a high gloss laquer frame, of course, adding glass spacers to stop the artwork touching the glass.  Will look great in a contempoary setting and won't break the bank at £125.

Lastly this week some medals brought in by the son of an elderly war veteran.  The medals came in to us having been cleaned and court mounted (not by us) and with a new set of wings with the King George crown from the period.  Our customer wanted a clean open style of frame with no mount and an Air Force blue background.  Apologies for the reflection in the glass, perhaps I should have persuaded the customer to take anti-reflective glass.  This is a surprise gift and will hopefully make an old Airman very happy.