Mounting and Framing Your Needlework

Written by Katrina Renouf


To start with, I want to state that I am not a professional framer, and many ofrepparttar tips I am about to give are things I have learned from other people, and I have not necessarily had a chance to try them all myself.

Frames are extremely easy to find, and they can be very cheap as well. In my opinion,repparttar 116236 best places to find them are at yard sales. People are always trying to sell old pictures that they no longer like, and you don’t need to like them either, as long asrepparttar 116237 frame is nice. Often you can get them for under a dollar! Thrift stores are another good place to look; I love going to dollar stores just to see what I can find. If you’re in a rush, you can always go to Wal-Mart of K-Mart and pick up something for a couple dollars too. It isn’t necessary to have glass inrepparttar 116238 frame, but if you’re not going to use glass, make sure to Scotchguard your work to prevent staining.

The first step in framing is to decide whether you want to use either a padded or non-padded mounting board (I have heard that if you’re not using glass, a padded mounting board looks great). Then cutrepparttar 116239 mounting board about 1.8 in. smaller thanrepparttar 116240 back inside measurements ofrepparttar 116241 frame. This gives you room to fold overrepparttar 116242 fabric. Next you need to center your needlework. There are a few different ways to do this. One is to eyerepparttar 116243 center and pinrepparttar 116244 fabric torepparttar 116245 board, then countrepparttar 116246 fabric threads betweenrepparttar 116247 edge ofrepparttar 116248 design andrepparttar 116249 pin you placed. This will make it very accurate, but some people would find it too time consuming. Another way to do it is to measurerepparttar 116250 mounting board and stick a pin intorepparttar 116251 very center; then putrepparttar 116252 center ofrepparttar 116253 needlework onrepparttar 116254 pin too.

There are two main ways to mount your needlework. The first one isrepparttar 116255 easiest, but also has more of a chance of damaging your work over time. The other option takes more time, but is relatively risk free. To start with, I will explainrepparttar 116256 easy way. It involves using a sticky mounting board. There is also a great trick to save you some money. You can userepparttar 116257 cardboard backing that came with your frame and just put some spray adhesive on it. There are two kinds of spray adhesive, repositionable and permanent, so be careful if you userepparttar 116258 permanent, because you can’t move it once it’s in place (hencerepparttar 116259 name). Once it’s in place, removerepparttar 116260 excess fabric so it is only 1.5 in. overrepparttar 116261 edges ofrepparttar 116262 board, and use masking tape to fold it over torepparttar 116263 back. This keepsrepparttar 116264 fabric from fraying.

The Care and Conservation of Antique Prints

Written by Neil Street


For many collectors of antique works on paper – specifically antique prints –repparttar care and preservation of their valuable collection isrepparttar 116235 most vexing issue they face. It need not be. A little common sense, and sometimes a healthy dose of restraint, will go a long way toward making sure that your important, unique, and hard-won collection remains preserved for generations to come.

The production process used inrepparttar 116236 making of your antique print does not alter in any significant wayrepparttar 116237 care that it needs. Whether it be a lithograph, copperplate engraving, mezzotint, or other process,repparttar 116238 basics of caring forrepparttar 116239 print remain essentiallyrepparttar 116240 same. Broadly speaking, there are four major aspects of good conservation thatrepparttar 116241 average collector should be aware of. These four key areas are: handling, repairs, framing, and storage. If you follow some simple rules in all these areas, your prized possessions should retain their good condition and value.

Handling damage is atrepparttar 116242 top ofrepparttar 116243 list for a very good reason. In my opinion, as a dealer in antique prints, more problems are caused by careless handling than any other single problem. Great care must be exercised when handling an antique print, becauserepparttar 116244 paper itself is so fragile. You only need to accidentally taprepparttar 116245 edge of an antique print against a sharp corner, such asrepparttar 116246 edge of a desk, to cause serious chipping. Ifrepparttar 116247 print has little or no margin, an event like this can be catastrophic torepparttar 116248 image area. Pervasive as it is, handling damage is an aspect of conservation that can easily be solved by common sense. First, do not work with your prints unless you haverepparttar 116249 time and space to do so. Handle them when things are quiet, not when your toddler needs attention. Second, make sure you haverepparttar 116250 space to put them down safely, such as a large table. Third, wear thin cotton gloves, available from framing supply stores. And finally, nless you are dealing with large numbers of very inexpensive prints, it is always a good idea to have each one stored loosely (not “encapsulated”) in a mylar sleeve. Mylar is a crystal-clear, polyester film, and it is very easy to find onrepparttar 116251 internet. Beware of imitations, and specify Mylar, because Mylar does not interact chemically withrepparttar 116252 print.

At some point in time, almost all collectors of antique prints are tempted to “fix” a defect by themselves. My response is: don’t, don’t, and don’t. All ofrepparttar 116253 things that are commonly attempted on antique paper –repparttar 116254 removal of stains, wrinkles, and pencil marks,repparttar 116255 mending of a tear,repparttar 116256 filling of a hole, or, heaven forbid,repparttar 116257 “whitening” of a darkened piece of paper – all these actions haverepparttar 116258 potential to cause irreversible damage, and to seriously reduce or eliminaterepparttar 116259 value of a given piece. Professional conservators spend years learning how to perform these complex tasks correctly – and they will berepparttar 116260 first to tell you ofrepparttar 116261 perils they face with each job. Leaverepparttar 116262 restoration torepparttar 116263 conservators.

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