Maybe a dumb question ...

Wow! Thank you all for the great suggestions! We're an awesome group, with so
many knowledgeable people. I'm no longer scared to try mounting canvas.

Off to do that!
:-) Jackie in Virginia
Jacqueline Tindall

"Marjorie Holme" wrote in message
...
I pin mount my canvas to the edges of a piece of archival foamcore. I
line it up and "pin tack" it so it's centered and even and like I want
it. There's generally a couple of inches of blank canvas (that will be
under the mat) but even if I don't use a mat and the stitching goes
nearly to the edge of the foamcore, this works. The pins are all around
the perimiter when done and hold well and are easy to remove.

Here's the key: I take a q-tip (cotton bud) and moisten it (if I was
being picky I'd use distilled water, but I generally just use tap
water). I dampen the canvas thread right where I want the fold line
(dampen, not wet). I make a crisp fold, pin in place and push the pins
all the way into the foamcore edge and then let it dry. I haven't used
enough water to rinse out the sizing, just loosen it while wet---so it
crisps back up when dry. The crisp fold helps hold the piece in place.
I've also dampened canvas at the corner folds on the back so I get a
nice flat corner.

I've even wrapped damp canvas around a foam ball and held it on with a
rubberband until dry for round ornaments. (I usually cover a foam ball
with a plain or metallic fabric and pin the canvas to the ball over
that, pin a coordinating stitched piece or plain fabric over the rest of
the ball and cover the seam with ribbon.)

I do my framing at a local Great Frameup (Homewood, IL). I go in and
pick out my frame and mat; they cut a rectangle in a piece of archival
foamcore. The foamcore piece matches the overall frame size, the
rectangle cut in the middle is just a tad-bit larger than the opening of
the mat. I take the foamcore and my needlework home and they assemble
the frame, cut the mat, etc. and call me when it's ready.

Thanks for the interesting framing information, Marjorie. Could you tell me
why you have the center piece removed from the foamcore. Why don't you use
it as a solid piece...or did I misunderstand what you wrote?

Mavia

As a former picture framer, I can certainly vouch for the sturdy and
durable qualities of fiberboard. After wrapping it with a suitable
barrier material, I've used it many times with pin or stainless staple
mounts for needlepoint and cross stitch. The extra ground was then
wrapped around to the back, and secured with archival tape. This did
not hold the piece, but merely secured the edges, so they stayed neat,
and did not break the paper dust jacket.

Jim, I can't believe this "artist" you mention uses aluminum foil as a
barrier, especially for textiles. I would certainly never do it,
expecially on a stitched piece that contained charms, silk or metallic
fibers, or where the ground was dyed with tea or other "organics"!
The possibilities for future electro-chemical reactions are just too
likely, even if you try to maintain "museum conditions". After all,
that's why they call them "accidents". I prefer to call them
"avoidable".

HOW?? There is an excellent barrier product available at all places
that sell mats and other framing materials. It's called 2-ply or
3-ply rag liner, and I ALWAYS use it as a barrier on mats or backing
material that is not specifically labeled "archival". And I do mean
ARCHIVAL. Acid-free is a misnomer. But don't get me started on THAT
soap box again. ;-)

You can ask your shop about rag liner of either thickness, but most
places only stock one of the two types. Liner is heavier than paper,
but still thinner and less rigid than matboard. It's often mounted to
conventional matboards when the desired color/texture is not available
in archival mat product. If you have a choice, pick the lighter stuff
for lining mats prior to cutting, and the heavier stuff as a backing
board liner.

Of course, if you still want to use the foil be my guest. But I
suggest you ask any boater about aluminum and electrolysis before you
do so. Most of them have have at least 1 good "horror" story to tell
about that problem.

Kathy in WA

We have a mamber of our Guild, who is one of the few people I know
who makes money selling her finished pieces. She calls them "Needle
Painting"; they are gorgeous and the cheapest one sells for over 1000
dollars Canadian. However, the point of this message is what she uses to
mount them. She uses fibreboard, which is, of course, absolutely loaded
with acid. She rounds the corners, so that there are no sharp edges, and
then covers the board with aluminium foil. She claims this is completely
safe, and I believe her, and it is the cheapest and strongest type of
backing board you can get. I think she uses something like quarter inch,
or maybe three-sixteenths. Needless to say, she stretches the canvas
using string. I have seen a demonstration which she gave, and she can do
a perfect job in about 10 minutes. HTH.