Warped Tapestry

[China Fine Art Framing]

I have just finished stretching a very warped, parallelogram shaped old tapestry. It is about 40 years old.

I managed, after many hours of fighting with it, to get it perfectly straight, but the top left and bottom right corners turned out really "baggy" and bubbly, because obviously I wasn't stretching these corners, but easing them in, so they would be straight. My customer is not happy with the result.

I am reluctant to apply steam, in case it causes a watermark, or in case the thread is not colourfast. The thread is wool.

Any ideas on what will work to correct this please?

I'm at a loss.

Many Thanks.

 

[Hired Help]

Heavy padding may help.

You can test colourfastness on the back with a dampened Q-Tip. If it is very badly out of square, even if you block it, it will quickly go back to being trapezoidal when you take it off the board.

Do you have a mat on it? If so, sometimes, foregoing perfectly square in the interests of keeping it flat and matting over the edges is the only way to go.

Pinning with ball headed pins onto 3/16 AF foamcore is my preferred method with these. I start in the top left corner, then then do the top right and bottom left corners. Then I pin all the way down the left side and pin the bottom right corner pulling as tight as I can.

If you leave it overnight like this it will relax enough to be able to take out the top right and bottom left corner pins and make it squarer. Now put a couple of pins in the center of each side and you will be able to see if your corners are out far enough. Repeat this until it is as good as it is going to get.

You now have the piece dry blocked but you are not going to take it off the board. Build a sink mat around it and frame it still on the board. This is a slow process that may take a few days and requires a mat to cover the pin heads and sink mat.

Repeat after me, "I am a framer, not a magician".

 

[FramerDave]

You need to block it first. Otherwise it's never going to stretch right.

 

[Framing Goddess]

What do you mean by "tapestry?"
Machine made Belgian pictorial tapestry?
Or needlework, needlepoint?
Post a picture, if possible.

edie the sometimeswarpedherself goddess

 

[China Fine Art Framing]

Here are a couple of photos of the needlepoint/tapestry in question. I think the customer told me it was tent stitch? I'm worried that wet blocking will make the burgundy colour run, since it's quite old.

I have dry blocked, and pinned all the way around, as per your suggestion Clive. The pins are hidden by the gold spacer, inbetween the needlwork and the glazing.

Shall I risk wet blocking it? I have explained the risk to the customer and she's going to think about it. She collected it yesterday, but phoned me when she got home.

Sometimes we can't win, can we? If I ruin it, she'll tell her friends. If I leave it as is, she'll tell her friends. What to do?

 

[Prospero]

This is a constant dilemma. Where does framing stop and restoration begin?
If someone brings you a parallelogram-shaped item, maybe it should go in a parallelogram-shaped frame. After all, the principles of conservation framing would dictate that an item be framed without altering it. Clearly in this case it never was intended to be wonky. But who knows?
How many times has someone brought you an old print and asked if you can clean it up a bit? Get that mucky mark off the corner? Fix that little tear?
On that path lies madness.

 

[Puppyraiser]

Time to drag out the old-fashioned blocking board. Mount it upside down using non-ferrous nails or pins. After dry blocking it to square, skootch it up toward the tops of the pins, so that there is an air space underneath the tapestry. Mist the back of the tapestry to dampen it and let it dry. Don't ever wet a tapestry because the chances of colors running are very good.

Get all the materials and equipment ready to mount, THEN remove the dried tapestry from the blocking board. (Do this because the piece will start drifting back to its parallelogram shape as soon as it comes off the board.)

Mount it using your favorite method, and you should be golden.

 

[i-m-chickie]

The thing with these things is the canvas and the stitch.
The tent stitch will almost always makes these thing go parallelogram. The stitch is like a half cross stitch and worked most times back and forth. So going askew is a given.
And the number of places that block are becoming fewer and fewer as it is a pain in the bum. I get mailed them quite often by customers and even other framers.
The canvas itself has a sizing on it that keeps it rigid. So misting it to loosen the sizing is necessary. and pulling is a must. A really badly shaped ones have given me bloody knuckles from the tugging (it was a large piano bench cover and VERY out of shape). A lot of pins or nails too.

Do you have a good blocking board?
Misting on the reverse is the way to go as Ellen said. I would be scared of the burgundy too. Try a corner to see if it runs.

You can also recommend the basket weave stitch for the stitcher as well. It is done on the bias so warping it is less likely, especially for the large area background stitching area. Google it for directions. Also using a stretcher bars (old fashioned wooden ones with brass tacks) helps too. Minimizes the warp.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dave]

Not sure of the size of this piece, but it appears to be about 32X34?

Depending on how bad it looked coming in I'd probably charge between $ 60 - 100 to block it. It would probably require several blocking sessions.

I usually mist the back with a 50/50 solution of purified water and isopropyl alcohol.

 

[Framing Goddess]

Ah, a needlepoint.
Good.
It looks gorgeous in that frame, btw! In your second photo, it looks pretty square, too.

From your photo, it does not look like tent stitch to me. It looks like basketweave, which is good news in the blocking department. If you end up unmounting it and post a picture of the back, I can tell you if it is indeed basketweave, but it should be obvious anyway. If it's basketweave, it will block beautifully.

Before you do anything else, see if there is a little tiny tail of that burgundy yarn dangling from the back of it. Snip it off and wet it under the hottest tap water possible, then squish it in a white paper towel. If it is a fugitive red, some of the color will transfer to the paper towel. If it does run for the hills (bleed,) there is nothing you can do. I have found that cotton floss from cheap cross stitch kits tends to run, some overdyed (cross stitch) floss is practically guaranteed to run (says so on the label) and very rarely, wool yarn from cheap needlepoint kits will run; but very rarely. Once I had a contemporary sparkly red yarn run in a needlepoint.

If it doesn't, and I might just bet it won't, then you will need to block it as described by Ellen above. Be aware: there is a knack to it. Blocking will make all the difference lookswise and could quite possibly end up different size-wise as well. Be aware.

I sometimes add a very thin layer of batting under the stitchery even if it to be under glazing- this helps to absorb a few bubble ups.

Let us know what you find.

edie the cheapfloss goddess

 

[Evan]

Blocking the needlepoint is certainly a must. What you are dealing with there is the most prevalent type of needle art. Needlepoint using the tent stitch, sometimes called the continental stitch.
My mother has been dealing with all forms of this type of art her entire adult life. Some of what she has done is on our website.http://www.finishingtouchesri.com/Site/Welcome.html
We block anywhere from 2 to 6 pieces a day in all shapes and sizes.
This is our method. We have a 4x8 foot table set up with a sheet of 4x8foot x 5/8 inch upsom board that we cover with clean towels. This is what we pin into. Our pins are an 1.5 inch "T" pin. To the needlepoint we apply steam using a jiffy steamer.
http://www.jiffysteamer.com/Products/index.asp?steamerCatId=2
Never press the steamer directly onto the needlework. Keep it elevated an inch or two above.
Most of the needlepoint stitching today is done using pearle cotton, persian wool or dmc floss. These have all proved colorfast over the years however, recently a new product called "silk and ivory" has come on the market witch tends to bleed into adjacent whites if you don't keep your steamer elevated above the work. As an added precaution you can block these upside down.
Another good resource, if your unclear on age, colorfast or condition, is your local university. Over the years we have built a great relationship with the textile conservation lab at our local U.
All of what my mother does is needlework finishing, I am the framer,( she still makes me block all my own work) however, be it a frame or a pillow, the needle art has to be square.
Ps. When you check to see if it's colorfast, check it on the back side. Also, buy a quilters thumb. You will thank me later.

 

[Dave]

OK, Evan... got me on that one.

What is a "quilter's thumb"?

I'll thank you now...

 

[Ylva]

The thingy you put on your thumb when you push the needle through????

 

[Evan]

Yea, it's a piece of leather that fits over your thumb. Those T pins will cause your fingers to split. No fun.
http://www.keepsakequilting.com/pro...scode=KBGSHP&gclid=CObByoffoqsCFWYbQgodwkvfew

 

[China Fine Art Framing]

Brilliant! Thank you all for your wonderful advise! Where would we be without "The Grumble"?

I have phoned the customer and asked her to bring it back - I can't stand someone not being happy with my work.

Edie, thanks so much for the colourfastness tip. I'm going to start there.

I'll keep you updated on my progress...

J x

 

[neilframer]

The best part of this thread is how many framers really care about the quality of the finished product and that the client is pleased with it.
If only other businesses would follow the same model.

 

[China Fine Art Framing]

I couldn't agree more neilframer!

Oh, and Evan, thanks for the jiffy steamer link. I've ordered one of those today too. Will also come in handy to iron my horrid, but gorgeous new red linen dress! Bonus!

 

[Evan]

Happy we could help.

 

[i-m-chickie]

Yea, it's a piece of leather that fits over your thumb. Those T pins will cause your fingers to split. No fun.
http://www.keepsakequilting.com/pro...scode=KBGSHP&gclid=CObByoffoqsCFWYbQgodwkvfew

I need to try one of those, add it to my working thimble collection.

I have phoned the customer and asked her to bring it back - I can't stand someone not being happy with my work.

That's the way to do it!

Snip it off and wet it under the hottest tap water possible, then squish it in a white paper towel. If it is a fugitive red, some of the color will transfer to the paper towel. If it does run for the hills (bleed,) there is nothing you can do. I have found that cotton floss from cheap cross stitch kits tends to run, some overdyed (cross stitch) floss is practically guaranteed to run (says so on the label) and very rarely, wool yarn from cheap needlepoint kits will run; but very rarely. Once I had a contemporary sparkly red yarn run in a needlepoint.

Cool points Edie. And LOVE the way you write, I imagine it is just as you talk...we must have tea one day. Or a crank call perhaps....

Excellent points regarding floss.
I would love to ad to this, if I may.

-If a stitcher is using fancy-schmancy threads. She is shopping in a store or a website that has thoughts and brains in it, or she is stitching with knowledge, may I say.
-Ask her what she, or he, knows about the thread. She more than likely knows. Or knows where to find it more than you may.

-Over-dyed flosses. Three "big" small companies there, Weeks Dye Works, The Gentle Art's Sampler threads (AKA GA or just Sampler threads), and Crescent Colors. Weeks has gone colorfast, but only recently, older stuff is NOT. Jim at The Gentle Art has told me there's has been for years. As far as I know Crescent Colors are NOT, I will need to check with Sharon, they are growing as a small company. All of these are.

-As for the really fancy-schmancy like Silk'n Ivory, Caron Collection (some have silk content, some do not, some are solids, some are not.. Ask the stitcher to bring in the label. Lots of info on the labels from some of these excellent thread makers.

-Kits these days are Krap, pooh, junk. I still carry some here; but their thread is horrible. Horrible dying and horrible to work with. Be wary.

Knowledge is everything.

 

[China Fine Art Framing]

Thank You

Hi Guys and Gals, as promised, I'm writing with an update on my warped needlepoint.
The customer brought it back, and your blocking techniques worked a treat! I did the colourfast test on the fibres first, and they passed with flying colours. I bought a Jiffy steamer and a quilter's thumb, and got into it. As well, I used my new Visualization Software to make sure it was straight.

See photo attached.

Framed it all back up again, and my customer was thrilled to bits! It's so cool that after 15 years in the framing game, I can still learn something new! Got to love that!

Thank you all so much again for your wonderful advise. I really appreciate it! J x

 

[i-m-chickie]

Nothing like a job well done.

Thanks for sharing your happy ending results.