I have worked at three custom frame shops in my life. Part of my responsibility was to frame stitcheries. If done right, they will last for generations. If done wrong, you'll be lucky if they make it 20 years....
Having anything custom framed can break the bank. Having the stitchery stretched and prepped is a very expensive part of the process.
So, hopefully this tutorial will make sense...
Supplies:
stitchery
frame
foam core (that poster stuff that has foam in the middle)--acid free if you can get it
straight pins
double sided tape
glazing points (they keep the stuff in the frame)
hanging hardware
paper sack or butcher paper
Here goes...start by selecting a frame that your stitchery will fit in. I bought mine at Walmart. I liked that it had a wood insert that could be placed behind the glass so that the stitchery wouldn't touch the glass. (sorry no picture)
Next, cut a piece of foam core that will fit into your frame. If you can get acid free foam core use it!
Make sure that the foam core fits into the frame with just a little wiggle room.
Next, center the stitchery on the foam core. This can be a tricky step. I usually start by placing a pin into each side and the center and then folding the extra fabric around and measuring to make sure it is centered.
The next step is the painful step. You will pull the fabric taut as you go along each side. Place a pin every half inch or so. Place them straight down into the foam core.
A look at the top edge with all the pins in place. Once you are happy with the placement of the pins use the flat end of a pen (or something similar) to push the pins all the way in flush to the foam core.
Next, I like to use double sided super sticky tape to adhere the extra fabric to the back to the foam core. I NEVER cut off the extra just in case it needs to be reframed in the future for any reason.
Then I place it in the frame to make sure it fits.
Then I turn over the frame to make sure that it is centered the way I want it to be.
This is the wood insert that came with the frame. A mat would work the same way. Since it is wood, I didn't want the wood to actually touch the stitchery because it would ruin it.
To solve the "I don't want the wood to touch the fabric" problem, I used my handy dandy glue runner that I use for scrapbooking and adhered some acid free paper to the wood to protect the fabric. Where the paper wasn't long enough, I just overlapped it (no picture, sorry).
These are glazing points. They are found in the framing section of most craft stores. You just may need some way to secure the stitchery in place. The backing that came with my frame no longer fit properly because the foam core was too thick.
Just place them flush. The pointy end sticks into the frame. There is a tool to set them, but I always just use a flat head screwdriver.
For a nice finished look, I usually use butcher paper, but didn't have any, so I grabbed a paper bag and cut it open so that I could use it for backing.
Using the same handy dandy glue runner for scrapbooking, I ran adhesive along the edge of the frame and then placed the paper securing it as I went along. Then I used a razor blade to trim along the edge to give it the finished look that you get from most frame shops.
I then found the center of the top edge of the frame and marked it. If the frame is 11x14 or smaller you can use a sawtooth hanger. I like the nail-less kind. You can usually find them along side of the other framing hardware. They are truly worth the extra money.
It was a very narrow frame so the sawtooth barely fit. If you can, don't place it quite so close to the top edge.
Then, hang it on your wall and enjoy it!
If you have questions, please leave a comment and I'll try to answer them.
