Mounting work to canvas?

[u/H2psychosis]

Hi folks!

Question.

Anyone mount their work to stretched canvasses? I have a fairly stretchy piece that is like to display in a tray frame... Something like this lovely piece is done by Rilla Marshall. I presume the best bet would be to buy a pre stretched canvas or make a canvas frame and mount it.

I'm having an awful time getting it stretched and attached to the frame without distorting it.

Any hints/suggestions/secrets?

[u/msnide14]

What I would do, is include generous woven margins on my project to give me room for wrapping. Then I would cut some gator board or balsa wood to the correct size to mount my piece, using thumbtacks or staples on the backside to stretch it taut.  

Then I would purchase a wooden frame kit. You can find these online, and they come in pairs. You buy two kits (one for the top/bottom and one for the sides). They’ll come with hardware to assemble them easily at home. Choose a frame kit that has at least an inch of depth. I would choose a size that just larger than my gator board mount. I would use additional black gator board to back my piece and call it done.

If I was placing this on a wall in my home, I would invest in invisible gallery glass, so my project didn’t get gross and dusty. 

[u/H2psychosis → u/msnide14]

Rad. I think you're definitely onto something with the idea of stretching over a board instead of over a frame. I suspect that would make it easier to keep everything straight.

Thank you!

[u/Stealthfl0wer → u/H2psychosis]

it looks like the piece you linked to is mounted in a shadow box style frame; that might be worth searching up for examples if you're after that specific look.

[u/Longjumping_Home2963]

for a stretchy weave id skip pulling it like a painting canvas. cut a firm foamcore or gator board to the final size, lay the piece flat, and pin or stitch the margins to the back so the cloth stays relaxed, then drop that board into a tray or shadow box frame