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STRETCHER
BAR FRAMES
Stretcher
bars are wooden embroidery frames in which the fabric can be pulled
really tight. The end of the bars having teeth so that you can slot
the bars together to form a square frame.
Different
length bars can be slotted together to match the size of your
fabric. The fabric is pinned onto the bars using thumb tacks or a
staple gun, pulling the fabric so that it is drum tight.
You
can put a stretcher bar frame in most frame stands (check with the
company first to see if the frame will fit the stand - thickness of
the bars is 3/4 by 3/4 of an inch or 2 cm by 2 cm) or you can work at
a table and support the corner of the frame with a heavy book, weight
or a table clamp, you will then have your hands free to work your project.
USING THE RIGHT
SIZE STRETCHER BAR FRAME
The
sizes of my stretcher bars are standard manufacturers sizes. If you
purchase a 12 inch by 12 inch stretcher bar frame, the outside
dimensions of the frame are 12 inch by 12 inch. The bars themselves
are 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) thick which means when the frame is
assembled the inside opening of the frame will be 10 1/2 inch by 10
1/2 inch. My stretcher bars may not fit together with other
manufacturers as the the width of the teeth may be different so it is
best to purchase at least one complete frame.
There
are several points to consider when purchasing your frame
-
Firstly
it best to know what size the stitched area will be. If the finished
stitched area is going to be 4 inch by 4 inch. You should have at
least 4 inches of fabric around the stitched area on each side,
making the fabric size 12 inch by 12 inch. An appropriate size
stretcher bar frame will be 10 inch by 10 inch. With a 10 inch by 10
inch frame you have an opening of 8 1/2 inch by 8 1/2 inch which
gives you 2 1/4 inches of open fabric around the stitched design.
This is the minimum amount of open fabric that you want around the
design for easy working.
-
Do
not work on a frame that is closer to the design as the tacks can
mark the fabric with holes when pinning the fabric onto the frame,
and these holes may be hard to cover when it comes to framing the piece.
-
If
you have a 14 inch by 14 inch piece of fabric the largest frame that
you can use is a 14 inch by 14 inch frame as the outside dimensions
of the frame are 14 inch by 14 inch. But my recommendation would be
to use a 12 inch by 12 inch frame as then you have 2 inches of fabric
around the edge to be able pull the fabric very tight onto the frame.
You must work out the size of the actual stitched area to make sure
that the frame will be okay. The largest stitched area size for a 14
inch stretcher bar frame (12 1/2 inch opening) would be 8 inch by 8
inch. This gives you 2 1/4
inches
of open fabric around the design to comfortably stitch the piece.
-
If
you have a larger stretcher bar frame than your fabric, you can
still use the stretcher bar frame but you will have to sew strips of
fabric to the sides of your fabric to make the fabric large enough to
pin onto the frame.
-
In
conclusion the frame size should be 2 inches smaller than the fabric
size giving you 2 inches of fabric to pull the fabric tight on the
frame. The inside opening of the frame should be 4 inches larger than
the stitched area of the design enabling easy working.
If
you have the right size frame it will not be necessary to reposition
the fabric as you are working the embroidery as the whole design
should be accessible to work.
Stretcher
bar frames are a great frame to work my embroidery kits in as they
are reasonably priced and quick to assemble and most importantly once
the fabric has been pinned onto the frame tightly the fabric does not
slacken of. It is very important that the fabric is very tight for
the Needle Painting kits, Modern Jacobean kits, Goldwork kits, Shadow
Work kits and White Work kits as it is easier to work the embroidery
on tight fabric and the stitching will work in neater.
It
is important to pin the fabric on to the frame by using lots of
thumb tacks, the closer the thumb tacks are together the more tension
you will be able to get on the fabric (about 1/2 inch intervals). The
fabric should be pinned on to the frame in the following method:
HOW TO ASSEMBLE
FRAME AND PIN ON FABRIC
-
Assemble
the stretcher bar frame so that it is square using four stretcher
bars. You can use all the same length bars to create a square frame
or each pair can be a different size i.e. using a 9 inch pair of
stretcher bars and a 11 inch pair of stretcher bars to form a
rectangle frame. The bars on opposite sides should always be the same
length so that the frame does not become warped.
-
The
stretcher bars have teeth at both ends of the bar, these teeth slot
into the teeth of the other bars to form a frame, you may require a
hammer to help push the bars together. See diagram 1. 2. and 3.
-
Place
the fabric over the stretcher bar frame so that the fabric is
squarely placed on the frame, not overlapping one edge more than an
other and not askew.
-
Pin
the first side of the fabric onto the frame starting at the center
of one side of the stretcher bars, (I like to pin the fabric on the
side of the bars so that when you are working the embroidery the
embroidery thread is less likely to get caught up on the thumb
tacks). Pin the fabric from the center of the bar to the outside
edge, then pin the other side of the fabric from the center out. Push
the tacks in about 1/2 an inch apart and try to avoid having puckers
in the fabric between each tack, you can gently pull the fabric to
the side as you are pushing the pins in. You can use a hammer to push
the tacks all the way in so they are flat to the bars if you wish.
-
Pin
the second side on the opposite side of the first side. Also begin
pinning the fabric at the center of the bar, pinning one side and
then the other. This time pull the fabric as tight as you can, it is
very important that the fabric is very tight for the Needle Painting
kits, Modern Jacobean kits, Goldwork kits, Shadow Work kits and White
Work kits. Do not worry about ripping the fabric as the fabrics I
provide are strong. To do this, place the frame on a table. With the
ball of your weaker hand, hold the far end of the frame down on
the table. With your strong hand pull the fabric very tight.
When it is very tight, release the hand holding down the frame
and use this hand to pin the fabric in place.
-
Pin
the third side on one of the unpinned edge, pin the fabric in the
same method as the first side, it is not necessary to pull the fabric
very tight, just pull the fabric gently.
-
The
fourth side is worked in the same method as the third side pulling
the fabric as tight as you can. When the fabric is pinned onto the
frame, the fabric should be drum tight i.e. when you flick the fabric
with your finger it pings like a drum.
-
You
can put a stretcher bar frame in most frame stands (check with the
company first to see if the frame will fit the stand - thickness of
the bars is 3/4 by 3/4 of an inch or 2 cm by 2 cm) or you can work at
a table and support the corner of the frame with a heavy book, weight
or a table clamp, you will then have your hands free to work your
stitching project.
FRAME SIZES
I
offer a range in sizes of stretcher bar frames which can be used for embroidery
techniques such as:
Blackwork, Cross-Stitch, Goldwork, Needle Painting, Needle Point,
Jacobean, Crewel Work, Silk Embroidery and any technique that
requires fabric tension.
If
you wish to purchase a stretcher bar specifically for one of the
embroidery kits that I sell, the stretcher bar frame can be purchased
on the relevant embroidery kit page so that you get the exact size
that you need.
SQUARE
STRETCHER BAR FRAMES
Stretcher Bar Frame (Complete Frame): $9.00 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar Frame (Complete Frame): $10.00 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar Frame (Complete Frame): $12.00 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar Frame (Complete Frame): $13.00 Canadian dollars
See below
for thumb
tacks necessary
to pin
fabric
to
the frame
RECTANGLE
STRETCHER BAR FRAMES
Stretcher
bars are sold as two bars instead of four, use two different sizes
together to make a rectangle frame.
Stretcher Bar (Half a Frame): $4.50 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar (Half a Frame): $5.00 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar (Half a Frame): $6.00 Canadian dollars
Stretcher Bar (Half a Frame): $6.50 Canadian dollars
See below
for thumb
tacks necessary
to pin
fabric
to
the frame
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