Glass or no glass for framed work?

I workled a piece of needlepoint about 30 years ago and did not use glass. At
the time my husband smoked. The cream colored background is now an ugly dirty
looking cream. I ran a vacuum over it once a week which did no good. I would
certainly frame your masterpiece. If you do not mat it, there are little
spacers that a good framer will have to put under the edge of the frame between
the glass and the needlework which will lift the glass just a bit to give the
stitches room, and they don't show. I prefer clear glass not glareproof glass
because I think the colors are better with the clear glass. Try both over the
needlework before you pick one. Boo

I have two cats, two rats, and and a husband who doesn't believe in helping
with the dusting. I use glass.

Isabel

"Bergen" wrote in message
...
I'm almost done stitching a portrait (140x120x90 colors) and was curious
what the opinion was on putting it under glass? I remember reading
somewhere
not to because it flattens out the stitches? The person receiving this has
smokers in the house and I would like to protect it from yellowing.

Almost all of my pieces are under glass. I want to protect my pieces from the
elements as much as possible. But when I get it framed, it's usually double if
not triple matted to keep the glass off of the stitching. The framer can also
put spacers in between the glass and piece if you like. Mine has used spacers
when I have used ceramics or treasures.

I'm sure there are those that totally disagree with me, and this is just my
opinion and how I like my work displayed.
Rhea from KY, USA

"CASin43" wrote in message
...
I never use glass on my work. I use a professional framer who explained to
me
that crossstitch is a textile and should be able to be touched . it can be
taken out of the frame, washed and reframed if it gets very dirty - that's
if
it has been framed properly.
She says that putting glass on crossstitch is like leaving the plastic
covers
on new furniture.

Yes! I never use glass because I WANT people to touch my work if they'd like
to, especially satin stitches or others that feel especially nice. I'm not
doing stuff "for the ages" so I'm happy to have people enjoy it now by
looking AND touching!

That said, I must add that there are no smokers and no fireplaces in my
house!

Felice

Canvas work is different as it cannot be washed and therefore glass should
be
used.
Carol-Ann
10 miles NW of London England

"CASin43" wrote in message
...
I never use glass on my work. I use a professional framer who explained to
me
that crossstitch is a textile and should be able to be touched . it can be
taken out of the frame, washed and reframed if it gets very dirty - that's
if
it has been framed properly.
She says that putting glass on crossstitch is like leaving the plastic
covers
on new furniture.
Canvas work is different as it cannot be washed and therefore glass should
be
used.


I would classify wool and silk fabrics as textiles and only some of it is
washable.

Cross stitch can't necessarily be washed, either. Many of the overdyed
fibres will run in contact with water.

Personally, I don't want anyone to "play" with my framed cross stitch, in
the same way that I wouldn't want them to play with a framed painting.
Each to his/her own.

emerald

On 1/1/04 10:00 AM,"Dianne Lewandowski" posted:

Ellice wrote:
Any needlework going to a house with smoking should always be framed under
glass. Even then, the piece should be opened and cleaned, the glass cleaned
after several years. The smoke will still seep in, even with a good dust
cover sealing the back.

No it won't if it's well sealed on the back and properly framed. I got
a 25- to 30-year old framed crewel piece from my mother (father smoked
heavily) and just took it apart to reframe. Mother used masking tape to
"lace" the fabric to the thin cardboard and guess what? No damage there
to the linen. That's good news.

Not one bit of smoke on the glass inside.

Aren't you lucky. Of course, I should've said - it should be checked
regularly to see when opening and cleaning are warranted.

Very amazing - since in framing when the glass is cut it doesn't fit exactly
to the edge of the rabbet wall, except very rarely. Even when it's all put
together nice and tight you won't see the glass shifting, but there's space.
It's unbelievable that there was no dust, dirt, grime of any sort on the
interior of the glass you removed. Truly. I've taken apart a lot of pieces
that were being re-matted, or re-framed - anywhere from after a few years to
30 or 170 years - and never seen glass that still didn't need to have the
inside cleaned at least a little.

Of course, like all things in life, there are exceptions. And where the
piece was, how often the smoking was right there, etc, would contribute. I
have a piece of XS that DH's mother did nearly 40 years ago, was glassed
over - in a nice wooden frame - and was in his room. For almost 30 years it
was in house where she smoked - but in a childs room for 14, then in the
laundry room - of all places. I don't think they smoked a lot there. None
the less, I could see the staining on some of the linen, and took it into
the shop and opened it, and there was smoke staining along the borders. It
just depends.

For most situations, the guidance is good to err on the side of
conservation, and care - IMO and IME.

Even "Well-framed" and "well-sealed" pieces can have seepage into them from
the environment. In the shop we use the best quality we can get, very heavy,
black paper for sealing framed pieces. We use archival double stick tape,
the paper is trimmed with framers trimming tools. Glass is spaced when it
should be. Frames are made with very tight, precise corners. But, the owner
has had the business for over 20 years, and occasionally piece comes back
that indeed has had kitchen fumes, or smoke fumes get in there over time.
Some framers, and most individuals just use kraft paper, or thinner "brown"
paper to seal the backs. Paper is not a non-porous material. Airborne
particulate matter can seep through, be absorbed, etc. Of course, we could
always discuss the particle size of airborne smoke, and the likelihood of it
working thru the little working gap between the glass edges and the frame
rabbit. Or under, thru the backing paper. Or there are those cases where the
backing paper lifts, pieces get knocked about in moving over time, etc.

Happy for you to have such inherited such a nicely preserved piece.

ellice

On 1/1/04 10:40 AM,"Boohoo1971" posted:

I workled a piece of needlepoint about 30 years ago and did not use glass. At
the time my husband smoked. The cream colored background is now an ugly dirty
looking cream. I ran a vacuum over it once a week which did no good. I would

Have you thought about taking it down, and having it washed? I'm sure that
it will brighten up. If it's done with wool, it could be cleaned - then
reblocked. Just a thought.

One of the SILs was working a floral piece with a slightly off-white
background. She stopped working on it for about 18mnths - had it in spare
room, but in their little house - with a bag slipped over the top. When she
went to start working on it again - the yarn no longer matched. There was a
clear slight color change where she'd stopped, and when she started again.
Poor thing frogged it all, and then re-did. My DBIL smokes, a lot - she only
rarely - but it's a small house, and well....Of course, the shades of white,
cream seem to show smoke affects the worst, and the fabric just seems to
soak it up.

ellice