Silk Scarf

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TRACY ART & FRAME

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We just took in a 30 year old Peter Max silk scarf yesterday. The client wants to see the entire scarf including its out of square edges.
Any ideas as to how to mount this thing.

My thoughts are to strech a peice of black fabric on a frame. then stitch the scarf on through the seemed edge of the scarf.

I have framed many scarfs before but this is the first one floating

Thanks

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Diver Dave
 
That is exactly what I would reccomend. I cannot stress enough how imperative it is that you make sure the client is aware that the thing is not truly square and the borders will be uneven.

I did a job in 1998 with six Faragamo scarves of shoes (Aren't they Faaaabulous?! Ecch) in which the client hadn't really gotten that part of the explanation. It was tiresome.
 
I would mount the fabric on acid free mat board, this will give you a firmer surface to try and square up the scarf as best you can.

Once you have the scarf layed out, you can sew it down with cotton thread. Using a solid board behind it rather than stretched cloth, will keep air from passing thru the backing cloth, making it easier to work with as far as the scarf staying in position while you sew it down around the edges.

Use the smallest needle you can, it will be a lot eisier to push it through matboard and it will do less damage to the scarf.

Make sure you space it away from the glass when you frame it.

John
 
I just mounted a scarf by hand stitching it first to a larger piece of muslin and then stretching the muslin over a piece of 8 ply and stapling (through the muslin.) This particular scarf was overmatted but it seemed like it would work nicely for a piece mounted with edges exposed if it were stitched to a suitable backing fabric. I had success also at squaring it up by stretching the muslin a bit tighter in some areas and not so much in others. I would also make a point of letting the customer know that there will be stitches in the hem of the scarf that she WILL be able to see if she looks closely.
I also used a tapestry (small blunt tip) needle to stitch through the scarf. A "sharp" (very pointy tip needle) might pierce the threads of the scarf and cause ugly little "runners."
Good Luck!
Edie the FG
 
Dave:

That's how I'd do it, if the scarf is in good condition. I suggest 100% cotton thread and stitch not-too-tightly across the top -- just enough thread tension to hold the weight of the item. Put lots of stitches across the top, to avoid sagging of the supple fabric.

On the sides and bottom edge, I suggest using loose stitches, to allow the silk to elongate without puckering. The bottom edge stitches won't support anything, but will serve only to keep the silk from flapping when the customer turns the frame upside down (as they always do).

It would be best to add some support stitches to the center section of the scarf, but they would probably make visible dimples on slick, smooth silk.

One more thought: be careful about the backing fabric. I suggest finding one that is colorfast and inert. If the framing package ever gets wet, the most likely damage would be bleeding color from surrounding materials. The chances of that happening may be remote, but in preservation framing we should consider worst-case scenarios.

Another mounting technique, better suited for a very fragile and deteriorated fabric, is to put it under tulle stretched over a somewhat textured fabric background. This gives better overall support and does not concentrate all of the load on the fabric's top edge.
 
Why not silk thread? Or Rayon, which I believe is synthetic silk), since it may be harder to find silk thread. I thought it was considered best to use "like kind" thread with textiles.
 
100% cotton is acid free, the others I'm not so sure of.

John
 
100% silk thread would be OK to use on silk, but it is expensive.

Synthetic threads (rayon, polyester, etc.) are actually thin strips of plastic twisted together. Their edges are sharp, although it takes a microscope to see that. Anyway, each of those sharp edges works like a microscopic saw blade, to cut through the fabric, as expansion & contraction over time.

Cotton, on the other hand, is what our most comfy underwear is made of. No sharp edges, no abrasion; the least probability of damage to the item sewn -- no matter whether it's silk, cotton, wool, or whatever. And it's relatively inexpensive. And it's inert. And it can be used on everything.
 
Thanks for all the help.

How we did it.

First we streched a piece of black cotton over a 3'x3' frame made from 1x2.

Next we stitched the scarf to the cotton

Then we mounted a 32"x32" piece of 4ply to a sheet of foamcore.

We placed the board on a couple of phone books, then positioned the strecthed scarf over top.

Next we stapled through the cotton into the board adjusting as nessecary. then we cut the cotton off of the frame. Wrap the extra fabric to the back and tape down.

The staples on the front get covered by a mat.

The whole process took about an hour and gave us a thin tight mount that was relatively easy and quick.

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Diver Dave
 
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