What To Know: Framing A Scarf
We view beautiful, colorful scarves as wearable art. But what happens when you want to take that wearable art and transform it into art for your walls? Scarves are in many ways a no-brainer framer when it comes to stunning, pattern-rich textiles. But framing a scarf requires some nuance and expertise.
Read on for our top tips and tricks to keep in mind for how to frame a scarf.
What To Know When Framing A Scarf
Textile art or scarves that are made of a sturdier fabric like cotton, linen or jerseys can be hand-sewn prior to framing.
Framing a silk scarf is possible, but keep in mind it is more delicate and prone to snags. Our team of expert consultants will walk you through the best way to keep a silk scarf snag-free.
One of our in-house preferred methods is to skip the sewing and instead stretch the scarf around a museum-quality board. We do this by inserting very thin silk pins all along the sides into the core of the board. This creates an even pressure to ensure the fabric is not stressed and the scarf won't sag in the middle over time.
The stretched scarf can then go straight into a frame or with an added mat! Keep in mind that stretching the scarf will involve losing about 3/4" of the image at the borders due to the wrap around.
If you want to see the entire scarf, we would send it out to a local textile conservator. Using conservation methods, they carefully stitch the scarf to a silk background using silk threads. Using all the same weight of materials keeps the stress even throughout and will preserve the scarf.
Glazing should be UV-protective and we typically recommend museum-quality glass or acrylic for a magical no-glare presentation!
Beautiful Framed Scarves In Action
Images via apartmenttherapy.com, stacieflinner.com and brit.co.
Inspired to turn that fashion moment into an art moment? Come visit any of our three Chicagoland framing locations, or get in touch online for a virtual appointment!