Mounting Silk for Framing

Over the years I have tried lots of different methods for mounting silk for framing. I prefer to use a method which means that the silk could be removed later if necessary.

 Which methods have you tried and what worked best?

 

If you would like to see some of my silk paintings visit  https://www.tessaspanton.co.uk/gallery-3

 

Mounting Small pieces

CARDS

If you are wanting to make cards there are several easy ways of fixing the silk to the card. 

1.You will need a  a triple fold card with an aperture and a glue stick like Pritt. Put the glue onto the area on the card where you want the silk to go. Lay the silk onto the glued area and smooth out any wrinkles. Or use small pieces of masking tape as below.

For a padded look put a piece of polyester wadding between the silk and the card. 

2. Instead of glue iron the silk onto a piece of freezer paper. eg a roll of Reynolds freezer paper 

Make sure the shiny side is up.  You can get ready cut pieces of a suitable size for cards from Silkcraft, click here 

Do a test first as I found this freezer paper worked better shiny side down.

Glue or tape this to the card.

3. If you don't have a triple fold aperture card you could use a plain blank card. For a rustic look fray the edges on all 4 sides of the silk then glue it onto the card.

SMALL PAINTINGS

I sometimes use this method for small works. It works best for pieces of silk under about 10in or 25cm

Lay the silk onto a piece of mount board. Secure with small pieces of a good quality adhesive tape. eg Sekisui tape from Jacksons on Amazon click here Don't use ordinary sellotape or cheap masking tape. 

Start in the middle of one side. I have numbered the first 4 positions for taping. Then work out from each of these points gently stretching the silk till their are no wrinkles.

Alternative 

Wrap the silk around to the back of the mount card and tuck in the corners, secure in the same way with small pieces of tape or use a needle and thread to lace as described below.

Mounting larger pieces

This is the easiest way I have found. 
You will need
Mount card ph neutral or better still conservation grade mount board  for backing the silk painting and for making the mount from.  Antique white or ivory usually shows the colours off to their best.  Framers sometimes sell off cuts of mount board and even brightly coloured ones are usually white on the back.

Acid free double sided tape about 1/2-1in wide  click here for an example or even better get acid free conservation grade click here

fig 1 above  Silk stretched on a frame. The image comes within the central square. The rest is spare silk which will be under the picture mount. 
I once left so little border on a large painting which made it impossible to mount properly using any of these methods. I went to a framer who dry mounted  the entire image using  conservation grade materials. an expense I could have avoided with more border.

After you have fixed the work, re-damp it, stretch it back onto the frame and leave it to dry. The image would come up to within the central area.
If you have used iron fix paints and metallic gutta you can skip removing it from the frame to fix. Just turn the frame over and iron the work on the back.

Fig 2 above  For the backing cut a piece of mount board a little smaller than the inside measurement of the silk painting frame and stick double sided tape just inside each of the four edges. 

This can now be stuck to the back of your painting and the whole thing removed from the frame. Fold the spare silk round to the back of the board and fix with  more double sided tape. Fix the picture to the mount using double sided tape.

I wrote about this method for the Guild of Silk Painters Journal back in 2007. 

 Lacing the Back

I use this method occasionally, it works well but is time consuming.

 Stretch the silk over a piece of mount card, no double sided tape is needed so the picture can be brought to the edge of the backing and the spare silk turned to the back for stitching. 
Temporarily secure on the back with masking tape and tuck in the corner.

Start in the centre of one side securing a strong thread with several backstitches.  Take it   across to the opposite side, stitch through the silk then return to the other side again pulling the thread taut, repeat until you reach the corner. You will need to rethread your needle several times and tie the new thread in. When you reach the corner leave the thread loose.

Start again at the centre and work towards the opposite corner. Do the same with the other two sides. Adjust the tension till even, stitch the corners and finish the loose threads.

Or use acid free foam core,  lace with fishing line and reinforce each hole with PVA glue

'Fall Out Method'  aka Newberry Method

I learnt about this from Stephie,  a friend with a Folksy shop. I have just tried it and it worked well.

I used 5mm acid free white foam core cut larger than the mount aperture. I cut an aperture a little larger than that of the mount. I placed the silk on the fall out piece and put it back into the aperture. I found it needed some tape to hold it. I cut the aperture on an angle but it could be done with  a straight edge. A layer of polyester wadding could be placed on the fall out first under the silk. The whole thing then goes under the mount.

Other methods
These methods may not give such long lasting results.
1. Silk paintings can be mounted on adhesive mount board. This is usually used for posters.
2. Small pieces can be ironed onto freezer paper.

Framing 

When mounted the work can be put into a picture frame. It is better to have a small space between the glass and the silk otherwise small amounts of condensation could encourage mould to grow on the silk. A picture mount will do this job.

  Make the border width 2-3in.  For a larger picture ( eg over 20x24in ) make it 3- 4in.  The lower border can be made a little wider by adding another 1/4  -1/2 in. This is more important on larger pictures as without it the lower border can appear smaller than on the other sides

If you prefer to frame without a mount, glue small strips of mount card under the rebate of the frame to create the gap between the silk and the glass. It is a bit fiddly but should be invisible from the front. 

 

  

    Pink Orchid  silk painting (c) Tessa Spanton 

Pink Orchid and other of my designs are available to buy as cards that can be personalised and sent to any address world wide from 

 We All Send Cards

 

          

 

If you have read this far and found it helpful do leave a comment.

Flowery Ebru

Above beaded detail and below mounted and framed

I wrote more about this in this post and here it is finished. I used pearl beads for the centres and deep metallic blue tiny glass tube beads for the stamens.

Now on show at the Corner Gallery

Kaffe Fassett – A Life in Colour

Exhibition Dates: 22 March – 29 June 2013

at the Fashion and Textile Museum 83, Bermondsey Street, London

  Click on the first picture to see it larger.

This exhibition is a feast of colour, texture and pattern and brilliantly staged. I visited on a very cold grey day and was pleased to swap the icy winds that whipped past the bottom of the Shard for the warm and colourful interior of the Fashion and Textile Museum. 
I was delighted to find that photography is permitted although  I only had an iphone with me.
 I found the exhibition very inspiring and will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Kaffe Fassett was originally a painter before he worked with textiles. The early part of the exhibition shows some of his paintings.
Paintings, knitwear, needlepoint, tapestry and patchwork quilts are arranged in different spaces making the effect of ever changing stage sets as you move around the exhibition and see different combinations from various angles.
 In the first 2 photos  I am looking through archways back at area showing paintings and forwards to a rich and opulent area clothed with brightly coloured and patterned textile pieces. 

Back in the 80s I remember seeing Kaffe on TV. He was making mosaics from broken china. I was inspired to keep a favourite mug that got broken, I still have the pieces somewhere waiting to be turned into a mosaic sometime!
I like the way the bottom of the mug or jug have been incorporated into this mosaic.

I love these hats patterned with buttons.

PS We had a lovely lunch at Jose's just over the road. It is an authentic Spanish Tapas bar. I have written  a review over on my food blog. click here

Gyotaku

                                 
                                         Perch printed on silk using a replica of a fish.
                                         details here

 Gyotaku is  traditional Japanese fish printing that dates back to the 1800s.
(Japanese 魚拓, from gyo "fish" + taku "rubbing") 

Maybe it started as a way for fishermen to record a trophy catch and later became an art form.
I used a replica of a perch, I don't think these are available in the UK but if you are in the US they can be bought from Blick's, click here
I was kindly given a set of these by Tina, another blogger who writes In the studio On the Shore
creating paintings of the British and American coasts.
The replicas are made of rubber and are shown below.

I had experimented with these before using a metallic Lumiere on painted silk. Shown above)(
I used a brush to apply the Lumiere and didn't get much of the fine detail coming through.
This time I used Schminke printing ink and and a roller.
I tried it on some Japanese printing paper but it was a bit thick for shaping round the fish. I tried some acid free tissue and some lightweight silk and both worked well.

Society of Botanical Artists, The Language of Flowers

 In a previous post I wrote that I had 3 silk paintings accepted for the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists and here I am there with my work. Photography is not allowed without permission and quite rightly so. So this is the only photo I have from the exhibition.

If you would like to see some of the work there is an excellent review here
and there you can see one of my favourites    Abies koreana 'Carron' (£5,500) Robert McNeill Assoc SBA
It is a big exhibition and I would say well worth visiting. Entry is free.

Every day there is a demonstration by one of the members of the society.

There are some very fine botanical works as well as a  with a wide variety of other interpretations,
Society of Botanical Artists annual exhibition, The Language of Flowers is currently showing at the Westminster Galleries, Westminster Central Hall opposite Westminster Abbey.
and runs till Sunday 21st April, more details here

 Approaching Central Hall Westminster

Infinity scarves

I completed this hand painted infinity scarf today.
I took a group of scarves to the Corner Gallery this afternoon for the current flower themed exhibition. I also have some paintings in this exhibition.

The scarf below is a double infinity scarf that can be worn in a variety of ways.

Both these scarves are also available to buy here and here

Below  Work in progress, I used an Arty's adjustable frame and Arty's Easy fix frame pins to secure  the silk to the frame
before painting.

Painting Outside

 The Lettuce Thief, Pashley Manor  June 26th 2012
watercolour with  green ink by Tessa Spanton

Today I put some finishing touches to a couple of paintings. Both were painted on location outside on beautiful sunny days last year. Just looking at them reminded me of being in those places in the warmth, so different from the grey and cold weather today.

The painting below was done  a bit at a time after breakfast over several days. This is where I had my breakfast some mornings.

Casa Velha do Palherio, Madeira

watercolour by Tessa Spanton Sept 2012