How do you mend frayed edges on needlepoint?

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FramerBill

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Dec 20, 2001
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Yorktown Heights, New York
I have received a framed needlepoint which the customer wants to clean and reframe. After opening up the framed package I found out that one of the edges of the needlepoint is badly frayed and in need of repair. The customer understands the problem and will pay for me to fix it. So, besides tape and glue, does anyone have a suggestion on how best to repair a frayed edge?
 
If it's just a matter of mending the edges of the unstitched canvas to prevent it from fraying further, you could run it through a sewing machine to bind it. Just use a heavy cotton thread close to the weight of the canvas itself.

If it was trimmed too close to the worked section of the canvas, and you don't have enough raw canvas to stretch it, either by lacing or pinning, you need to put more material on. You can do this by sewing heavy unbleached natural cotton fabric to the edges.

This is all assuming that it really is needlepoint, and not cross-stitch or something else. We may need more info.
 
As MiterMan said, a little more information would be helpful.

From your post, I'm thinking that the customer wants her needlepoint removed from the old frame so that she can take it to a drycleaner to have it cleaned and blocked. She will then return the piece to you for reframing. Is that right?

Where was the frayed edge in the original framing package? Under a mat? Behind the backing board? Visable?

If the canvas has frayed so close to the stitchery that blocking and stretching is going to be a problem, I'd baste the whole thing to a piece of muslin and stretch that.

Who is doing the cleaning? You? The customer? A professional drycleaner? I have no qualms about tossing my own needlepoint into the bathroom sink with Woolite - but I wouldn't attempt that with a customer's piece.

Good luck with this project.

Kit
 
Some clarifications:
It is a cotton needlepoint, and yes, the customer wants the work removed and reframed with a new frame. No matting was used on the original. I was planning on using a drycleaner near me who knows how to clean and block, however I need to fix the frayed edge first.

The frayed edge is in the back on the bottom. It is not visible....yet. The top edge looks pretty solid, and the right and left sides look OK for now, but should be reinforced to minimize any problems down the road. A bit of the original needlepoint design had been pulled around the corner in order to secure it to the backing board (remember, I said above that the artwork covers most of the fabric).

From the suggestions above I probably will go with the muslin or "seam binding" material as long as I can sew it on out of view.

Kit - I was wondering why you would clean your own piece but not a customer's? The cleaning and blocking processes seems pretty straight forward. Is there something I'm missing?
 
Hi Bill. My SimCity game has a button that lets me turn off the disasters function. Real life doesn't have one of those.

There are so many things that could go wrong that I prefer not to chance it with something that doesn't belong to me.

If I wash my needlepoint and the colors run, or the ancient canvas dissolves, or the piece shrinks beyond recognition, I can just say "Oh, well" and get on with my life. It's much harder to do that if I've ruined someone else's precious heirloom.

It's only straightforward until you see the color from the red flowers bleeding all over the white background.

I agree that it's a good idea to get the edges of the piece stabilized before any cleaning is done.

Good luck with this one.

Kit
 
Oh Boy... where to begin?!?!? :eek:

1) Drycleaners must be part of the Dryclaeners Association, and trained in how to clean Stitchery. Most Drycleaners SAY that they know how, but have you any proof? Check with their Association first.

2) NEVER allow the drycleaner to Block the needlepoint, their idea of blocking is really ironing. You don't want to be responcible for them flatening the customer's stitches.

3) Needlpoint, (on canvas, not fabric) is the only stitchery that deserves blocking. Any stitchery on fabric will be damaged by blocking.

4) NEVER use Woolight on any stitchery. It has a bleaching agent and can leave a white bleach-like stain. I recomend Ivory soap. (Liquid, bar, or flake.)

5) NEVER hand-wash a needlepoint. The canvas is held together by the starch, and when you put it in water, you remove the stach, causing it to fall appart. Needlepoint is the only stichery that must be drycleaned, or just surface cleaned.

Now... FramerBill, as for your orriginal question: If this is truly a needlepoint on canvas, you can sew some rug binding on to the edges. This can be found at any local fabric store. (Many Drycleaners will do this job for you.)

I hope this helps.
Susan May (Stiching since I was 7, framing since I was 18.)
 
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