turning calico fabric into matboard

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SusanG

SusanG

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 1, 1999
Posts
2,364
Loc
Holland, PA, USA
Hello,

I usually don't do much cutsey country framing, but for this piece I was requested to make a mat of the customer's fabric. It is a calico print probably 100% cotton, and I have lots of extra to play with. I have a cold mount vacuum press that I use for our mounting. Also I have UMSCO fabric adhesive from probably a decade ago. Can I make this mat without a heat press? Must I wrap it, or will it cut on my Wizard? Also I do have a framer friend who does have a heat press and tissue. If I told him what to do, I'm sure that he would pop it in his heat press for me. Which route should I go to make this simple mat?

Susan
 
If you have fabric to play with - try this first - brush some of your old fabric adhesive on a piece of matboard, let it dry, then plonk down some fabric and hit it with your iron (you have an iron somewhere, right?). The adhesive will probably reactivate with heat.

If the fabric sticks well after ironing - try cutting a mat - it may depend on the fabric itself as to whether it would need to be wrapped or just cut. I don't know nuttin' about what a CMC can or cannot cut but I have mounted many kinds of fabric over the years and cut them with my Keeton.

If the fabric does not stick with your adhesive, if you have any gel medium you could repeat the experiment with the gel medium.

Or lastly, take the fabric to your friend with the heat press and mount onto either an already cut mat or just your blank.

Wrapping is a snap.

Just ask Bro' Baer.

Good luck!
 
Thanks, Framar,

I do have some acrylic gloss medium that I use when I use Stabiltex. I know that bonds fabric well and it doesn't seep through the thin mesh fabric. We do have an iron at the shop. Could the acrylic gloss medium be thinned with water? Thanks, as I didn't think to go that route and the bottle is sitting right here on the shelf!.

I think that for the look of this piece, it would look better with a beveled edge.

Susan
 
I wouldn't imagine thinning would be necessary - just brush or roll it on as is, let dry, position fabric, iron well - and cut yer mat!
 
I've done a few in house samples... I've just dry mounted the fabric on the matboard with Fusion 4000.

A how to is listed in Vivian's matcutting book.
 
The acrylic medium worked out well. It bonded with an iron. Also it cut in the Wizard. I made sure that it was a fresh blade with plenty of depth. The fabric tends to fray, so I was really careful with the bevel. Gee why didn't I ever do this before? It was so easy!

Susan
 
This mat was a middle mat. The first and third were a Bainbridge silk that were cut with a bevel so the middle looked better with a bevel. I can see how it would be really classy with a wrapped thick bevel in the appropriate situation. So easy! I have been limiting myself to the Bainbridge and Crescent fabric samples all of these years-I feel that a whole world has opened up to me!
 
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