More Mini Frames

Recently I posted instructions for making mini-frames for doing petitpoint.  I provided two simple methods that didn’t require fancy tools and that also required  only basic skills.  This sort of thing is often referred to as “teaching them to fish rather than providing the fish.”

But there are some who, for whatever reason, would rather buy frames ready-made.  I can understand that.  The problem is that some things just can’t be handmade and sold at a reasonable price.  These frames may be one of those things.  By the time you add in the costs of padded envelopes, today’s high postage costs and a minimum wage, the price becomes fairly significant for something that takes the place of poking a hole in some mat board (grin).  I have to admit that I do think it brings a touch of class to needlework that mat board can never provide, and while making them I daydreamed of fancy ones with figured wood and inlay in the corners.

And yes,  I did make some.  I decided to make them with good, hard maple.  I also decided to make them using “real”, cut half-lap joinery.  In this way I could be a bit more precise I suppose.  It also meant a whole lot of joint cutting.  Can you spell BORING?  Anyways, here’s the pile of sticks I ended up with after that process.

All of these pieces were glued into 1 1/2″square and 2 1/2″ square frames using hide glue to provide a hard, non-flexing joint.   Then I rounded the corners and sanded them, but only to remove any raised edges.  These frames work best if they’re NOT perfectly smooth as the glue will stick the gauze to them better.

I applied some oil and let them sit over night.  This morning I applied a coat of shellac, trying to strike a balance between protecting the wood and not generating a super-smooth surface, which is counter to the purpose of the frames.  This is the result.

And here’s the deal on selling them.  It would make no sense to sell these individually as shipping costs would make that silly.  So, I’ve clustered them into a package a three frames – two small and one larger.

The small frames are great for doing chair seats, samplers, firescreens, candlestands, pillows and some wall hangings.  The larger one is large enough for, well, larger needlework.  Neither will accommodate a rug.  If you want a set, they are $17USD and this includes shipping costs.  At this point I have only 5 sets but I can make more if I can’t persuade everyone to make their own (sly grin).  Contact me via email if you want a set.

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com

Making frames for miniature needlework

The use of needlework to decorate a home was commonplace prior to the 20th Century.  While these days, needlework is hung in frames, it was once used to cover chairs, sofas, and other furniture.  It was used to decorate small chests, fireplace screens and, well, pretty much everything.  And because these earlier periods are very popular periods with miniaturists, there is an active miniature needlework (petitpoint) community.

The typical way of holding silk gauze used as a substrate for petitpoint is thick bristol board with holes cut into it.  Being a wood kind of guy, I thought it better to use wood to build a frame and I did so.  These have become popular with some and recently, in an Internet forum, these frames have become a topic of conversation and people are asking me how to make them.

So, here are two methods.  I’m going to assume a minimum number of tools as many petitpointers are not woodworkers.  These frames are so easy to make, however, that anyone can do it.

Half-lap Joints for Frames

Half-lap joints are easy-to-make and fairly strong joints that are found in all sorts of framed doors. Real-life woodworkers make them by setting a table saw dado blade (a wide blade set) at a height one-half the wood thickness and they cut away a ‘notch’ of wood that is half the depth of the wood and that extends inward from the end of the piece towards the center of the frame piece a distance that is equal to frame piece width. If you do this on both ends of a set of 4 frame pieces, you can assemble overlap a half-lap on one end of a frame piece with the end of another frame piece set 90 degrees to the first piece. Do that a couple more times and you have a full frame.

Making the basic frame pieces

If you own a micro-table saw, making miniature half-lap joints is done the same as you would the full-size joints. If you don’t have a table saw, however, you can use a simple lamination technique to generate half-laps on both ends of frame pieces and I’m going to illustrate two different approaches. One will start with sheet stock and this is the quickest and it will generate the most consistent results. For those who have a hard time cutting long, thin pieces, however, I’m going to illustrate a method that begins with stripwood. In each case I’m going to make a 2 1/5” square frame (inside dimension) and the frame pieces are 1/4” wide.

Frame pieces from sheet stock

To make the frame pieces from sheet stock, start with a piece of 1/16” thick stock. I’m going to use basswood as most people seem to have that readily available. At the risk of stating the obvious, basswood is not balsawood. If I didn’t see those two confused so often in Internet conversations I would take the time to point it out.

Because I want a frame that is 2 1/2” wide on the inside and with frame piece widths of 1/4”, I will need frame pieces that are 2 1/2” plus ½” (2 x 1/4”) or 3” long so cut a piece of sheetwood that is 3” long and around 3-4” wide. You’ll see in a bit why this second dimension doesn’t need to be exact. The second piece needs to be cut to 2 1/2”, the interior dimension of your frame. Make it the same width as the other piece.

Now it’s a very simple matter of gluing these two pieces of wood together, making sure that there is a 1/4” half-lap created on each end of this 3”wide laminated plank.

Once the glue has dried, set up a fence on your saw so that you can cut 1/4” wide by 3” long strips from the sandwich you just created. What you get for your efforts is a bunch of frame pieces with half-laps on each end.

Frame pieces from stripwood

If cutting long, straight cuts is difficult for you, the same parts can be made using pre-cut stripwood, in this case 1/16” x 1/4″ basswood. First step is to cut four, 3” long pieces of wood for each frame you want to make. Then you need to cut four, 3” minus 1/2” (2 x 1/4”), or 2 1/2” pieces. Each of the shorter pieces must be glued to a longer piece, ensuring that there is a 1/4” half-lap at the end of each resultant frame piece. There will be a bit more error in this method but it only requires an Xacto knife or single-edged razor blade.

Frame Assembly

Now that you’ve got the frame pieces made, the rest is a piece of cake, as the half-lap joints should help you create a square frame. I just use Elmer’s Glue-All and check the frames for square using small blocks that I can put inside the frame. Nothing is too critical here, though.

Once the frame joints are dry, use a sanding block to smooth up the outside edges. You might even want to round the corners as I find this keeps threads from getting caught on the corners while I work.

Of course, if you want to impress your friends you can get fancy, build frames from maple, use two different colors of wood (maple and walnut, perhaps), and you can dye or stain them. For a Xmas stocking I made a red frame and it kept me in a jolly mood.

Adding Silk Gauze to the Frame

Most people glue their gauze to cardboard or foamboard and some complain that it tends to come loose. I didn’t know any better so I used a method I’ve used for a lot of other things.

Glue stick glue has a nifty attribute that it will set really well if you iron the joints, so that’s what I do. Run glue stick glue around one side of the frame and start ironing the gauze in place, holding some tension on the gauze so that it is taut as it spans the frame opening. That’s all there is to it. If you do end up with a wrinkle, a bit of rubbing alcohol will loosen the glue and you can iron it back down. Once it’s glued in place, I run a single-edged razor blade around the periphery of the frame, cutting off the excess gauze.

I haven’t had much trouble with the gauze coming loose while I stitch, unstitch (errors… me? Naw, couldn’t be), and re-stitch my way to a completed project. If the gauze does loosen up you can just iron it back down. I did have one corner come up once so I know this works.

If you have any questions, you know where to find me.  If you still don’t want to make your own, let me know and I can make some for you for a modest fee.  For a bit more I can make them from cherry or maple.

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com