Mounting Sports Jersey's & Shirts

Randy

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Posts
5
Loc
Colorado
Just received two jerseys to frame and am curious as to the best way to mount them and the best surface to use: mat board or fabric covered foam board??

Thanks
 
Either surface should work well. The fabric covered has one advantage in that you are not limited to the standard colors everyone else uses. Sew them.

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When you look back it's better to regret what you did, than what you didn't do.
 
Randy, we've done tons of these and have strong ideas about what their final appearance should be. We use 4-ply "hangers" cut to fit the shape at the top of the shirt. Sometimes we'll pad the "hanger" with an appropriate fabric or batting to give it more dimension. You sew through the top layer to the back and repeat until secure all around the hanger's perimeter. You may in addition have to French tack occasionally to discipline the shirt's fabric from slumping. You may also attach a similar arrangement down toward the bottom, but be careful that you don't restrict the back of the shirt so tightly that the front sags, as mentioned above. The end result should appear that the shirt is floating on the backboard. All this said, they're very pretty, but......I hate doing them! By the time I add the liner or spacer to 3-dimensionalize, and figure the labor, I don't like the return on the investment. (I know, I know: charge more.)
 
We hate them too. My partner said to charge so much that they will all take them to a shop that will accept and be so bogged down in them that they have no time to do regular work. I don't know. Hate to turn a sale away. One of the large shops in our area staples or glues them. Not our cup of tea. Some accounts don't care, particularly the sports teams and sports bars. I guess you need to ask the customer.
 
A faster method (we find) for attaching them to the backing material, is to use a Fastach (insert US brand name here) gun. It is the kind of gun used to insert price tags into clothing (inserts the plastic I-shaped tags). Strategically placed tags, two along each shoulder top, sleeve etc can then be tweaked up or down a bit by pulling them varying distances on the back side of the backing board until you are happy with the alignment of the shirt.

Still takes two to three hours to do a shirt frame, though, which we probably don't factor in totally in the price (so shoot me already). The bonus is that the guns are dirt cheap (probably about US$10).
 
The problem with the Fastack guns or similar is that the nylon is stronger that the fabric being framed. The first premise of framing memorialbilia is to not damage it. I would suggest cotten thread in place of the tacking gun.

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Jerome Feig CPF ISA
Field Art Studio
Pleasant Ridge, MI
248-399-1320
248-399-7018 fax
 
We cut a form to fit inside the jersey out of 4 ply rag then stitch down both jersey and board to either fabric covered rag or rag board. The top mat is built up to accommodate the height of the jersey. And yes we hate doing them too, but after we finish each one we always say "that wasn't so bad" until the next one comes in, oh well...
Ruth
 
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