Just in time for the Fall Semester! One of our customers brought in a lovely jacket letter and certificate to frame and it came out stunning.

​The antiqued gold fillet that lined the inside of the acid free mat really complimented the old engraving style border of the certificate.

​This was framed in Museum Glass so that you can see the rich texture of the school letter in great detail. The glass will also protect the letter from fading which is important because both textiles and certain red pigments are notoriously fugitive. 

​Everything was tied together with this rustic textured gold frame.  It has a soft luster in most lights that adds accent to the composition without dominating the scene.

​Now, her award and letter are preserved for years to come in a lovely elegant presentation!

​We had the recent opportunity to preserve this beautiful piece of Native American History.  This doll was very old yet still had it's intricate bead work and delicate leather fringe intact.  It may even have been stuffed with horse hair.  Though in good condition, it was fragile due to old age and being open to the elements.

​We set about the delicate task of sew mounting the doll onto an acid free backing.

​Unlike regular fabric, leather is a solid material and stitches cannot slip through the grain undetected.  We were able to mount the doll through existing stitch holes in the leather to retain the integrity of the piece.

​The customer chose a nice mat to frame out the doll visually but being a piece with deep dimensions, it was decided that we should use matching shadowbox risers to give the piece an overall open feel.  In the photo above, it's almost like the doll is patiently waiting to be finished in their new home. 

Now, it is finished and resting inside a maple shadowbox frame with museum glass. This beautiful piece of history can be admired by many instead of being stowed away in the dark.

​We put our heads together and designed a way to both preserve the jersey and display it in a dynamic presentation.  A black custom made shadowbox frame was constructed to be extra deep to accommodate the hat that was to be mounted with the jersey.  There were insignia on the sides of the cap that needed to be visible.

​We arranged all the elements and set about a construction for a mount.  A filler form was constructed to sew the jersey on to and the arms were filled out at well as we wanted to have the shirt holding out an arm to display the small flag with a sandbag sewn to it.  The identification lanyards were draped around the neck of the jersey and sewn in place. Supports needed to be sewn to the backs of the arms to hold them up.  If they were not in place, the armature would sag.

​Courtesy of one of our fabulous framers - Lana Lambert

​When I removed the old framing, the original mounts were in bad condition.  They consisted mostly of cardboard, masking tape, and even some glue.  We carefully extricated the delicate embroidery and stretched it over an acid free board.  Next, a soft cream colored mat was chosen to compliment the original fabrics and a delicate green line was traced around the mat opening to both accentuate the needlepoint work and to help break up the monotony of the mat color.  Lastly, mat risers were added to create depth of space.  The particular molding we used is a shadowbox so we were able to take the opportunity to create a deep display and allow the three dimensional needlework to retain its shape rather than be crushed under glass.  The whole was sealed against mold and bugs and put under Conservation Clear glass to protect the colors that fabric arts are so notorious for losing.

​Recently, we had the honor of being commissioned to preserve a set of medals for a customer.  This job was particularly challenging because the customer wanted a beautiful presentation for the medals that would be archival, but he also needed access to them because he sometimes took the wings out to wear them.  The older set of medals had been passed down through the family and they were beginning to deteriorate from age. The beautiful silk material used to hold the ribbons was starting to fray and release due to the weight of the medals themselves. 

​We decided to mount the medals onto a clean linen backing and sew them down in a way that would present them very nicely while at the same time taking the weight of the medals off of the ribbon material to keep them from further damage.  The wings were given linen loops to nest into so that they could be removed when the customer would like to take them out.

​In order to be able to take them out, we had to custom design the backing to swing open like a door!

​Turn buttons and brass hinges complete the piece.  A small brass hanger with a black satin ribbon acts as a pull knob without the protrusion of a traditional knob.  It stays flat when the piece is hung on the wall via the sawtooth hanger.  Of course, we had it installed with UV protecting glass so that the fabric on the medals could be further protected from fading.

It was a challenging project that was so gratifying to see come together.  Those medals now have a home that displays them safely for all to see instead of being hidden away in a drawer!