Monthly Archives: February 2018

Framing a Peruvian Rug

how to choose picture framing matting

Peruvian Rug Shadowbox: mounting something old and something beautiful

When I saw the rug the first thing I noticed was the size; it was pretty big with a lot of crazy fringe and illustrious colors surrounding the entire perimeter. It was fairly big for a personal custom frame job, like something you would see in a nice gallery or art museum. Other than its size, the rug was pretty meaningful and sentimental to the customer, so I had to design and handle the rug with great and intimate care. The customer bought the rug years ago in Peru when traveling around South America and for some time was hanging it on his wall unprotected and not properly mounted. The customer knew if he wanted to preserve the rug for decades to come he would need to properly mount the rug in an enclosed acid-free, UV protected environment. So after a few discussions it was decided that a simple shadowbox was the best route to properly preserve and present the rug in an appealing fashion.

Read More »

That Time We Framed a Huge American Flag

how to choose picture framing matting

Framing a Flag

The flag at first glance was very interesting and appeared to be very old and a bit fragile. The colors and the look of the flag were very specific to a Maryland state flag or possibly a Baltimore city flag. The design of the shadow box was very clean and bright, which was ideal for displaying the flag with good complimentary colors and adequate space. Before I even started mounting the flag onto the textured mat, I wanted to be sure all my materials were ready to go and the initial design requirements were being met. If I were to rush into the mounting or rush into gluing materials in place, a simple design oversight could ruin the whole process or compromise the integrity of my work. When sewing a flag or any garment for that matter, you want to be sure that you have the right threads, needles, and tape to properly execute the job. You’ll also need some type of awl or thumbtack to puncture the mat board so the sewing needle can easily pass through the flag and the mat without bending or breaking. Once your materials are set and you’re completely clear about the design and layout, you’re ready to sew.

Read More »