Lace, pin or staple needlework? How to choose?

[Natalya Murphy]

From looking at past threads (no pun intended) on this forum, it seems like lacing is the preferred method for preparing needlework for framing. But I've also seen quite a few refer to pinning. What is your preferred method of handling needlework and why? Is it based on shop time vs. cost, pure principle of one method being superior, ease of convenience?

Vivian Kistler's needlework framing books includes lacing, pinning and stapling as valid options, so what would make one method preferable over another? All three are reversible; all seem to offer the same level of support of the items. One thread mentioned that using a thread weaker than the material during lacing would allow the thread to tear in case of jarring, thereby preserving the piece. But what about pinning or stapling? Are they considered inferior? Why?

Personally, lacing seems more "classy" somehow and stapling seems a bit trashy, but I can't tell you any technical reason why -- it's strictly a gut feel.

[PaulSF]

I use pinning, because I just can't sew. I tried lacing once, and it took too long and seemed to come out completely wrong.

[Meghan MacMillan]

After lacing a few practice pieces I found a set up that was comfortable for me, and streamlined how long it took. It is now my method of choice.

The only time I might use staples now (rust proof, of course) is on a needlepoint on very heavy canvas. In 3 years at this location I haven't taken in one single needlepoint.

Of course now that I've posted that someone will bring one in on Tuesday. I'll let you know what I do to it...

[Steph]

I used to work at a shop for many years where we were only allowed to staple all needlework that came in over needlepoint board. Thinking about all those pieces makes me cringe to this day. I taught myself to lace and snuck in a few that way if it was requested by the customer.

Now owning my own place I will only lace or pin. Stapling can cause permanent damage to the fabric.

[PaulSF]

After lacing a few practice pieces I found a set up that was comfortable for me, and streamlined how long it took. It is now my method of choice.

The only time I might use staples now (rust proof, of course) is on a needlepoint on very heavy canvas. In 3 years at this location I haven't taken in one single needlepoint.

Of course now that I've posted that someone will bring one in on Tuesday. I'll let you know what I do to it...

I've been open just over a year, and I've gotten 3 or 4. One of which had little beads sewn all over it, and one of which had little charms sewn to it. And I've also gotten two or three India specials -- those Indian paintings on really fine-mesh silk, always with inadequate borders!! The nice thing about those India specials is that the customers seem comfortable spending a fair amount to frame them nicely. And I'm sure the India specials don't cost more than $5 or $10...but when you have to go all the way round the world to Mumbai to get them, you want them looking good.

[osgood]

lacing, pinning and stapling as valid options, so what would make one method preferable over another? All three are reversible;
Staples are fired in and many times the threads of the needlework fabric are damaged and cut by this. I'm not so sure that this makes it a reversible process!

The other thing to consider about stapling is the backing......what backing that is c/p quality will staples be successful??? I don't know of any!

Lacing is much easier than some people think!

[Framerguy]

My method of choice is pinning followed by lacing. I use Coates & Clarke stainless steel dressmakers pins only. They are a bit hard to find in some parts of the country but they work very well and won't rust. I have never tried stapling and am not interested in how it is done or why anyone would use that method.

I find that pinning is fast and very accurate when doing competition work for women who enter their needle work in judged competitions. I can square a counted cross stitch on a single line across top and bottom and down each side with pinning and I have never been able to get that kind of accuracy with lacing without much work and adjustments of the laced piece. That can get very hard on the finger tips even with latex gloves on!

[Val]

I haven't stapled in many years. Way back when, when I didn't know better, it was the "chosen" method, according to my supplier of 1/4" pressed "needlework board" (horrors now!). Is that even still available? And if anyone is still stapling, what in the world board are you using that holds a staple?

I'm with Framerguy...pinning is my method of choice. Stainless steel pins are still available at my local fabric store. A bit pricey, but they're worth the peace of mind, and it doesn't stress the fabric fibers as much. Lots of pins, better accuracy with lining up, and my grandmother's thimble.

[FrameMakers]

I prefer a friction mount. I know there is another name for it but I can't think of it right now. In a nutshell, you cut an opening in a pc of acid free FC that is slightly larger then the mat opening. then you lay the n/w over the drop out an press the other piece of FC over this. then you adjust from the back. This method is very fast and completly reversable.

[PaulSF]

I think that's called the "tight-fit" method, too.

[FramerDave]

I think that's called the "tight-fit" method, too.

Or the Newberry Method.

[Framerguy]

............................ Lots of pins, better accuracy with lining up, and my grandmother's thimble.

Ah, the joy of being a man with very large hands and doing a delicate job!! It took me years to find a thimble that actually fit my finger!! I wear a size 12 ring and most all thimbles are made for a woman's size finger. A friend of mine finally gave me one of these souvenir china thimbles (with "My mom visited Paris and all I got was this stupid thimble" type printing on it) that was large enough to just fit on my index finger tip!

I value that thimble more than many of my larger pieces of equipment at times! :thumbsup:

(AND I can turn it upside down and have a cup of tea in the morning!)

[Steph]

I have the opposite problem, I can't get any of the 'newer' thimbles to stay on my finger. The only one that works well for me is an antique thimble. Fingers must have been smaller in those days. Now if I just had that same problem with clothing, ackt!

[TGFU]

My first choice is usually pinning. But, I just purchased Pat Kotnour's all-in-one kit. It includes a dvd with a section on using the Attach-EZ for mounting needleworks/fabrics of all kinds. Looks easy and quick, so I'll be trying that out soon.

[Val]

Steph, I have to wrap a bandaid or tape around my finger before even my grandmother's thimble will stay on.

Framerguy, someone (a big man) told me about a man-size thimble he found through a leather-works supply place.

Jim, Pat's AttachEZ is good for some applications, but not all. It's a great tool though, and frankly, sometimes I forget to think about using it! I must work on that.

[RoboFramer]

In our notions dept (which we call 'habby' - short for haberdashery) - we sell 'THUMBLES" self-explanatory but great for thick fingers. Anyone want one?

Also a hard plastic finger guard that looks like a bishop's mitre with half of the pointy bit missing (and the bit that goes over your finger is not a complete circle - so it will fit any size finger), a leather finger cover and a soft rubber disc that you grip the side of the needle with - more probably!

Lacing BTW - never ever use staples and have not pinned for years - the next most used method here would be support sewing. Have only used the tight fit/Newberry method as a demo - don't cut the aperture at a bevel - make it a 90 degree cut.

[beta]

Try as I might, I have just never gotten good at lacing so I prefer the pinning method and I just go ahead and stick a felt frame bumper to my finger and that works wonderfully for me. The rubber ones work too. :)

[Pat Kotnour]

The lacing vs pinning vs stapling vs EZ-Stretch--the Attach-EZ method for stretching needlework has been debated for years. What I have decided is that like everything else, people will do what they are comfortable with, and is the easiest for them to get the job done. There are good and bad points to each of the methods people use---including lacing.

Personally, I believe that lacing is the method that has the greatest chance of doing damage to the fiber of the needlework. Some of the gurus of the framing industry will argue this point, but it is something that can easily be proven. Lacing also is the method that takes the longest and can be very frustrating when a lace is broken. I have had pinned, taped, and laced work come into my shop which another shop prepared originally, and the one thing that I noticed was that the laced and taped pieces were rarely straight...and the laces were always doing damage to the fabric....and quite often the pinned work had pull marks at the pin points.

Now please don't beat me up over my opinion. This is an observation that I have had quite a bit of experience with....and also much feed back from needlework shops and needle artists all over the world who use EZ-Stretch exclusively because it is archival, easy to get the work straight every time, and does no harm

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect everyone to agree with my methods of preparing needlework, but for the record there are thousands all over the world who already know what I do.

[Handy]

we pin (using nickel coated threads) - unless lacing is requested. With pinning I find that it's easier to get more accuracy in getting straight borders, etc. A lot of our customers also expect to have the lines of the fabric match up with the edge of the matting so it's easier to make minute adjustments with the pins - because with lacing you can't just adjust "one area" once it's done.

I also agree with Pat - the pieces I've seen laced seem to really pull where the lacing is - which to me is damaging to the fabric. You can get pull with pins as well - but you just are stretching it too tight if that is happening.

Also - staples have chiseled points - they cut the fibers - instead of sliding through them like pins or needles do.

I haven't figured out yet how to use the attach ez to get a nice tight stretch.

[RoboFramer]

On pinning ....

If the pin is solid stainless steel - fine - but I'd still lace.

If the pin is COATED - then it is coated before it is cut ... the cut end(s) can rust.

With pinning the tension stops at the pin - with lacing the tension is carried around to the back too and you can always sew an edge on so that no damage is done to the 'original' fabric margins - the artwork is MADE with needle and thread - stretching with the same, if done right - cannot be invasive.


I hear what Pat Kotnour has to say and have new respect for tag guns - but someome selling the thing is never going to plug a method that only envolves digging out your sewing box.

You buy a Versace suit - you don't expect the trouser turnups to have litttle plastic thingys in. It's about skill versus convenience.

Sometimes.

[Pat Kotnour]

RoboFramer, I think most of the people who have purchased an Attach-EZ kit will tell you that it isn't about selling tagging tools. It is about giving framers easy and reversable ways to attach fabric and 3 D artwork. And, anyone who has used EZ-Stretch (correctly), which is just one small part of the kits, will tell you that it is very easy to get a tight, straight, damage free stretch. If done according to the directions it will always be straight and will never come back for a redo because it is sagging.

[Bogframe]

I haven't personally used EZ-Stretch yet, but I watched Pat use it at the Baltimore show a few times, and it looks to be easy, non-invasive, conservation-friendly and FAST! I've never been able to lace anything evenly; I usually pin, and will confess to having stretched with tape way back in the dark ages, but on occasion new methods get introduced that change the way we do things. After all, two years ago, who would have thought that I'd be using (and grudgingly liking) a CMC? Keep an open mind.

[Jim Miller]

Attach EZ is much faster than lacing or pinning, and I recommend it for typical cross stitch on Aida cloth and other coarsely woven canvas.

Finely woven canvas such as silk, or fragile, antique needle art is another matter. Then I would probably advocate a mounting that does not require puncturing the fabric at all, such as fine mesh overlay, or the Newberry method.

In my own tests, the Attach EZ nylon fasteners actually exerted less stress on the canvas's weave than laced thread did. The nylon fastener's right-angle "fingers" spread the load over several threads of the weave, not just one, as lacing does.

One complaint I've heard from lacing "purists" about Attach EZ is that it is difficult to control tension. Ah, so...install fasteners in the edge of the canvas about 1" apart or as needed. Center the canvas on your reinforced-alphacellulose mount board, and use your favorite thread to "speed lace" the fasteners across the back of the board, vertically and horizontally. The pattern is the same as standard lacing. That uses stress-limiting thread, enables perfect tensioning and retensioning later, and you still have the stress-disbursing benefit of the nylon fasteners.

Another myth is that nylon is not suitable for preservation. No problem. Nylon is chemically stable and does no harm in the framing. Yes, it is light sensitive, but that matters only if it is exposed to light -- which it is not, if it is behind the mounting board.

[Jim Miller]

Robo:

When I use pins, they are nickel-plated brass pins. The plating is done after the pins are welded, so the entire surface is nickel.

I guess you are right -- solid stainless steel probably would be best, but I've never found solid stainless steel pins. Every one of them, to my knowledge, is welded at the head. The welded area can rust or corrode, and precisely at the spot of contact with the fabric.

[Doug Gemmell]

We use cadmium plated chicken wire.

Just place over the needlework and bend over the edges and back.

Easy, fast, and looks great!

[Natalya Murphy]

One complaint I've heard from lacing "purists" about Attach EZ is that it is difficult to control tension. Ah, so...install fasteners in the edge of the canvas about 1" apart or as needed. Center the canvas on your reinforced-alphacellulose mount board, and use your favorite thread to "speed lace" the fasteners across the back of the board, vertically and horizontally. The pattern is the same as standard lacing. That uses stress-limiting thread, enables perfect tensioning and retensioning later, and you still have the stress-disbursing benefit of the nylon fasteners.


Jim, I tried this method after you mentioned it in a lacing thread, but had problems with:

Getting the fasteners to stay up so I could lace around them
Getting the thread to stay around the fasteners as I continued lacing farther down


If you can provide some more specifics on how to make this "speed lacing" work, I'd love to give it another shot. Do I need to make extra loops around each fastener? Cross over the thread when coming back around? Use some magical device to make the fasteners stand on end? Bring the thread around on the underside of the fastener?

[osgood]

This is the method of lacing I have been using successfully for 22 years. It's easy, simple and after you have done three or four, is quite fast. It also overcomes a number of issues that people have with other lacing methods:
http://www.ormondsframing.com/Lacing/lacing.html

[Jim Miller]

Jim, I tried this method after you mentioned it in a lacing thread, but had problems with:

Getting the fasteners to stay up so I could lace around them
Getting the thread to stay around the fasteners as I continued lacing farther down



Like so many other framing tasks, AttachEZ lacing takes a bit of practice. Here's how I do it, but you may find another way works better for you:

First, I use 1/2" fasteners, the long ones. When lacing, I push each fastener from the front of the canvas as I go, so it stands up straight on the back. I loop the thread around each fastener, which helps keep it around the shaft. And finally, I keep a slight tension on the thread as the lacing progresses. At the end I tie a temporary slip-knot, then go back and pull the thread to proper tension. Finally, I tie a permanent knot in the thread.

After a few tries, the speed lacing goes much more quickly than all that poking with the needle. And for we who are fumble-fingers, less blood, too.

[Pat Kotnour]

Jim has had much success with his speed lacing method of stretching and this is one way to use the fine fabric tool to stretch needle work. However, it is not the method that is called EZ-Stretch.

When using the Attach-EZ method of stretching you will not lace at all and the fasteners are placed 1/2" apart all the way around the needlework. As I tell people, it is similar to doing a canvas stretch, but you will start in the corners instead of in the middle. I'm not sure who is having trouble with tension, because if done correctly this method applies equal amount of tension throughout the stretching process to create a tight and even stretch, but not pulled to the point of doing damage. The fasteners will be holding the fabric from both sides of the mounting board and is the reason you won't get pull marks....and the fasteners will be hidden under the rabbit. Needlework artists and shops are using this method to stretch counted cross stitch, petit point, needle point, crewel, etc.

Jim is absolutely correct when he says that the EZ-Stretch method would not be appropriate for fine silks, or fragile antique projects. Once again I encourage framers to learn all the methods of handling needle art so that when faced with a difficult project you know what to do and will do no harm to the artwork.

[FramerDave]

Pat, although I haven't tried it myself, your EZ-Stretch method does look pretty good. But just one thing: do you have an alternative to the marker you use? I just can't get comfortable using a marker on the needlework.

I know the alcohol tip on the other end makes it disappear, but it's still in the fabric, just not visible. I would worry what this could do over the long term.

[Pat Kotnour]

You don't have to use the pens at all. You can use a basting stitch along the grain line to give you a border to follow just like the pen does. This thread line can be removed once you are finished stretching. Any colorfast thread would work just as well as the pen

Just to let you know, I have used the pens to make the stretch line for 4 years now and the pieces that I demonstrate with at the trade shows are showing know signs of any discoloration. Most of my demo pieces have been sprayed with alcohol and marked with the disappearing ink hundreds of times and still remain vibrant and with no signs of any problems.

[Candy]

I don't think you have to worry about using the disappearing ink pens on needlework. They were designed years ago for quilters. Now, if you know any "die hard" quilters, they all use the dissappearing ink pens on their quilt tops to mark quilting lines........these marks are going all over the top of the quilts. Any mark that does not disappear will be seen. Also, if the disappearing ink pens were to damage, trust me on this, quilter's would drop them like a hot potato. The inks in these pens are water soluable.

[Ack Cents In Framing]

I prefer to lace as long as I have enough excess to overlap. I worked out a method that works well for me, but you need to be comfortable with any product you send out the door. Use what ever method you can stand behind and guarantee.

I wouldn't recommend staples, it is very invasive and can damage the piece being worked on.

[Val]

I found, in my local Joannes' Fabrics (no frame shop in there) pins, called "Bridal and Lace Stainless Steel RUSTPROOF"(in big letters on the package). I immersed them in water for a few days, and Walla! No rust! The nickel-plated pins failed the rust test. Rusted at the head. All others failed, as well.

These passed.

[FraminGal]

Lace it baby!