HOW TO COVER A PICTURE FRAME WITH FABRIC

It is sometimes necessary to match a picture frame with elements in the room : bedspreads, curtains, drapes, sofa ... just to provide a better decorative effect.

Rather than trying to paint the frame... why not cover it with a piece of fabric : it's simple and fast ! Bonus : you obtain a very decorative and low cost frame for your home.

And the same fabric can also be employed to make a perfect matched mat... fabric mats give to your frame an elegant touch often used in French interiors.

With a quite ordinary picture frame and a little care, you will get a sophisticated and refined frame perfect for a classic interior.

And it can not be any bad surprises at the end of your work!

The necessary equipment and framing supplies :

A wooden frame, very ordinary with a rabbet from IKEA, GIFI or other ... and some framing supplies :

• A fabric scrape larger than the frame.
• A pot of white vinyl adhesive and a brush to spread it.
• Scissors, cutter or sharp knife.
• A bone folder.

So if you're ready for the explanations ... it begins!

Covering the front of the frame ...

Cut your fabric scrap so that its dimensions exceed those of the frame of 5cm. You can iron it to prevent any wrinkle... Lay your frame on the fabric just to see if everything is okay before you start pasting.

Glue now the front of one of the larger length of the frame by spreading the vinyl white adhesive with a brush, without thickness, . Do not soak fabric with glue : there must be just enough to allow a good adhesion.

Place the fabric on the glued part and stretch slightly in the direction of the length : do not distort the fabric by exaggerating the tension but to avoid any wrinkles. If you've a patterned fabric, be careful to align correctly...

Let the glue take a few moments and then paste the rest of the front frame and apply the fabric, stretching it slightly. With the bone folder and the flat of the hand, smooth well.

Cutting corners and covering the back of the frame:

Turn the frame face against the table. Here is a passage a little tricky ... Look at the pictures on how to make the cuts to obtain impeccable corners !

Draw the cuts using a 45 ° angle and mark them lightly with a pencil. The little flap is a square with dimensions equal to the thickness of the frame.

So treat each corner of the frame.

You will now glue the corners and edges of the frame, fold small flaps to hide the corners.

When the corners are hidden, fold over the flaps and finish to glue the fabric on the back of the frame...

Then, with a very sharpened knife (mine, PRADEL blade, is like a razor !) or a cutter, cut the fabric excess close to the rabbet, stretching it slightly.

It's over for the back ... Turn the frame on the table.

Front frame

Place the square on each corner and draw the cuts to be made.

Then, with your cutter or your knife, cut along your marks.

Remove the center to make 4 flaps. These flaps will be glued and folded into the rabbet to complete the frame.

But first you must cut 4 small fabric strips and stick them in the inside corners before folding the flaps.

You can now glue the inside edges of the frame and the rabbet and fold up the flaps. Work with the bone folder to properly apply the fabric in the rabbet and prevent unsightly wrinkles ...

Then when you're finished, cut with a cutter close to the rebate to remove fabric excess .

Let dry all ... your frame is finished! You just have to cut out a mat and cover it with matching fabric ... put your photo ... and suspend it on the wall!

The Complete Photo
Guide to Framing and
Displaying Artwork
by Vivian Carli Kistler

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The author provides inspiration and helpful examples to show people how to display their artwork using basic design principles in a manner that is easily grasped.

An Amazon best !

Home Book of Picture
Framing
by Ken Oberreicht

One of the best ! I think ! Over 40,000 copies of the first edition sold : it cannot be an error !

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This home Book of Picture Framing is the most comprehensive guide to mounting, matting, and framing oil paintings, watercolors, posters, photographs, calendar pages, and greeting cards without spending a fortune...

The first phrase : No do-it-yourself activity will save the homeowner or apartment dweller more money than the mounting, matting, and framing of artwork, photographs, posters, documents, and collectibles....

Frame It! (Paperback)
Tonia Davenport

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Customers review are the better test for the book!

... The book is an extremely comprehensive guide for standard framing techniques, but what I really love are the more creative, non-standard techniques Tonia shows as well... (by Corey)

...Framing can be intimidating, but she glides and guides us right past that with clear basic guidelines, classy projects, and her own very creative artwork... (by Gloria)

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