How to Frame Needlepoint at Home
By Lauren McCarter
Framing needlepoint comes down to three things: your stitching needs to be square, held flat behind a mat or spacers so the glazing sits clear of the stitches, and closed in with a backing board. With one of our framed cameo kits, you trim the canvas, peel the film off the clear front panel, sit your stitching face down behind the scalloped mat and put the back on.
For any other piece, whether you call it needlepoint or grew up calling it tapestry, don't trim it before it goes to a framer. They need that spare canvas to lace or pin it over a board.
Which kind of framing do you need?
| What you have | What to do |
|---|---|
| A Matilda framed kit | Trim your stitching and pop it into the kit frame (steps below). |
| A frame from a shop | Pin your stitching to foam board, add a mat, and keep glue and tape away from it. |
| A piece for a framer | Take it in untrimmed and ask for it to be laced or sewn onto the board. |
Need a frame to hold your canvas while you stitch? That's stretcher bars or a scroll frame. This guide is about displaying a finished piece.
Framing a Matilda cameo kit, step by step
Finishing isn't my favourite part of needlepoint (a ruffle once cost me a lot of finger-stabbing). A frame is one of the simpler ways to finish a piece. There's no sewing, just a good pair of scissors.
In the video I frame a stitched Sailboat, and the steps below follow the same order.
What's in the frame
When you open the kit frame, you'll find:
- the frame itself (pink or green), with a black protector on each corner
- a striped display card and a white paper insert, which your stitching replaces
- a scalloped mat (the wavy mount you see from the front) and a flat mat
- a clear front panel, still in its protective film
- a backing board with a stand and a hook
1. Open the frame
Pull off the corner protectors, turn the frame face down and push back the little tabs. Lift everything out (backing board, paper insert, striped card, mats and clear panel) and lay it on a clean, flat surface.
2. Trim your stitching
If your stitching has pulled out of square, block it before you cut (see below), because the spare canvas holds the pins.
In the video I cut away the bound edge and the blank canvas, including the MATILDA lettering, close to the stitched panel. That leaves a narrow strip of bare canvas around the stitching. Cut a little at a time, checking the size against the back of the frame. You can always take a bit more off, but you can't put it back.
3. Peel the film off the clear panel
Peel the protective film off the clear panel, then turn it over and check the other side, because some panels have film on both. Put the panel back into the frame, followed by the mats, the same way they came out.
4. Lay your stitching face down
Lay your trimmed stitching face down in the back of the frame, over the scalloped mat. In the video you can see the sailboat mirrored through the mesh, a handy check that it's the right way round. Before the back goes on, check through the front that your design sits centred in the window.
5. Put the back on
Put the backing board back in and press around the edges so the tabs hold it in place. The stand lets it sit on a shelf, and there's a hook if you'd rather hang it.
How to block needlepoint for framing
Stitching often pulls a canvas out of square. My Howdy canvas was very warped by the time I finished stitching it, so it needed blocking. Blocking eases the canvas back into shape so it sits flat and straight in a frame.
Check your thread maker's care advice before trying DMC's wet-blocking method:
- Dampen the canvas without soaking it.
- Gently ease it back into square with your hands.
- Pin it into a board, starting at the centre of each side and working outwards.
- Leave it flat, out of direct sun, until it's completely dry.
- If it's still out of shape, repeat.
As DMC's blocking guide puts it, never cut the canvas before blocking. The spare canvas holds the pins while it dries.
How to frame a tapestry or needlepoint with a framer
For a canvas that didn't come with a frame, a larger piece, or a tapestry someone in the family stitched years ago, a picture framer can mount and frame it for you. If the piece is fragile or damaged, ask a textile conservator for advice before framing it.
Don't trim it first
Bring your needlepoint with all the spare canvas still on. A framer laces, sews or pins through that margin to stretch the piece over a board. That extra handling is also why framing needlework can cost more than framing a print.
What to ask for
The Picture Framers Guild of Australia's framing standard (its appendix on textiles) sorts framing into five levels: Minimum, Decorator, Quality, Conservation and Museum. At the first two, stapling a textile to its backing is acceptable. From Quality up, textiles are lace-mounted or sewn onto a support such as foam core board, and at Conservation and Museum level every process has to be reversible.
Questions to ask your framer:
- How will it be attached? Lacing or sewing onto the board is gentler on stitching than staples or glue.
- What will touch it? Materials in contact with a textile should be acid-free and stable. Glue, tape, staples, tacks and unsealed wood shouldn't touch the stitching.
- How will the glazing be kept off the stitches? A window mat or spacers holds it clear, so raised stitches aren't flattened and condensation is less likely to mark the piece. The Western Australian Museum's conservation manual asks for at least 10 mm between a textile and the glass or perspex.
- Is UV-filtering glazing an option? Worth asking if it will hang somewhere with daylight.
The same questions work with a framer in the UK, New Zealand, Canada or the US.
Matted, floated or unglazed: which look?
A window mat gives the design a border and hides the bare canvas at the edges. A float mount shows the whole stitched piece, edges included, which suits a piece with a fringe or decorative edging. As Master Framing explains, leaving the glass out shows more texture, but the piece must be stretched firmly over its backing so it doesn't sag.
Glass, acrylic or nothing in front?
Glazing keeps dust, smoke and marks off your stitching, and UV-filtering glazing adds some protection from light, although, as the Canadian Conservation Institute notes, that protection isn't complete.
- Glass is heavier and breaks more easily.
- Acrylic (often called perspex) is lighter, but it scratches more easily and wiping it can build up static that lifts loose fibres.
- No glazing shows the stitch texture best, but the piece is open to dust and marks.
Framing it yourself in a shop-bought frame
To frame a needlepoint canvas in a shop-bought frame, use acid-free foam board and an acid-free mat. The mat or spacers need to be thick enough to keep the glass or acrylic clear of the highest stitches. Here's how to mount the canvas:
- Choose a frame deep enough for a mat, your stitching and a foam board backing, and cut the foam board to fit.
- Centre your stitching on the board. Pin through the spare canvas into the edges of the board with stainless steel pins, which won't rust, working out from the middle of each side and keeping the canvas threads straight.
- Instead of pins, you can lace the spare canvas across the back of the board, criss-crossing strong thread side to side and top to bottom.
- Add a mat. It hides the bare canvas and holds the glazing off the stitches.
- Keep glue and tape off the stitching altogether.
Where to hang framed needlepoint
All textiles are damaged by light, and silk is the most vulnerable, fading, yellowing and becoming brittle over time. Silk & Ivory is half silk, so a spot out of direct sun is kind to it.
When you choose a spot, avoid:
- anywhere the sun reaches at any time of day
- above or beside a fireplace, heater or vent
- cold, damp exterior walls
Choosing a cameo kit to frame
Our framed cameo kits have everything you need to stitch a little piece of art and pop it into its frame. Each one has a hand-painted 9 x 14 cm canvas on Zweigart mono deluxe 13 mesh, Silk & Ivory threads (50% silk, 50% merino), a size 20 DMC tapestry needle, a Matilda Stitch Co. project bag and a frame in your choice of pink or green. They're A$139.95 each:
- Strawberry Cameo Needlepoint Kit
- Sailboat Cameo Needlepoint Kit
- Bunny Blue Needlepoint Kit
- Bunny Pink Needlepoint Kit
Three of these designs are also sold as canvases on their own for A$59.95: the Sailboat cameo canvas, Strawberry cameo canvas and Pink Bunny canvas, with a needle but no threads or frame, so plan on a framer or a shop frame. The listings suggest DMC Perle 3, Soft Cotton or Stranded Cotton, or you can choose from our Silk & Ivory threads. You'll find the rest of our designs in our needlepoint and tapestry kits and hand-painted canvases.
We send kits to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. US readers can find our designs in shops across the US including Le Fil Studio in Los Angeles and KC Needlepoint.
Quick answers
Should needlepoint be framed under glass?
For most pieces, glazing is a good idea. Glass or acrylic keeps dust and accidental marks off the stitching, and UV-filtering glazing gives some protection from light. Ask for a mat or spacers so the glazing doesn't touch the stitches.
Do I need to block needlepoint before framing?
If your needlepoint has pulled out of square, it needs blocking before framing. Check your thread maker's care advice before wetting it, and leave the spare canvas on for the blocking pins.
How much canvas should I leave for a framer?
Leave all of it. Take your needlepoint to the framer untrimmed and let them decide, because they lace, sew or pin through that spare canvas to stretch it over a board.
Can I frame needlepoint without a mat?
Yes. Spacer strips inside the frame can hold the glazing off the stitching instead, so the glass or acrylic doesn't press on it.
Doesn't framed needlepoint get dusty?
Without glazing, it can, so give it a gentle dust now and then. Behind glass or acrylic with a backing board, much less dust reaches the stitching.
Does a Matilda cameo kit come with the frame?
Yes. Our framed cameo kits include a frame in pink or green, along with the hand-painted canvas, Silk & Ivory threads, a needle and a project bag. The canvas-only listings don't include threads or a frame.
Happy stitching,
Lauren x