Glass or no glass?

[lyn]

In the early days I didn't put felt artwork beneath glass - mostly it was hung from a dowel or framed without glass.

But I now rather like glass on some felt pieces - high quality clear glass - I haven't yet found a non-reflective glass that doesn't make the felt look dull.
Has anyone here found one?

If the felt is lightly textured it still shows through the glass and of course there is no problem with dust. I hope the moths would find it difficult to get in too.

Just over 3 years ago, Annie made a floral textured piece that she gifted to me - you can see the whole thing at the end of this blog post:

link to blog post

It's on a white backboard in a narrow white frame with clear glass. I can still appreciate the textures and it looks as good as when it was made.

Of course there is plenty of felt artwork that cannot be displayed under glass, and there is the slight niggle of reflection that comes with glass.

Anyone with any thoughts on this?

[Shepherdess]

As a rule, I like things framed. I think it looks more professional for pictures. Perhaps just because that's what I am used to. For me, personally, I like glass because of the dust issue, even the cleanest houses get an accumulation of dust on things that can't easily be dusted. There does seem to be better glass now. There is a new(er) non-glare glass that doesn't dull things but it is very expensive I am told. the problem with not putting highly textured things under glass is people tend to touch them. Textured pieces seem to want to be touched. And who am I to resist temptation. Adding a do not touch sign seems to make it worse. LOL

[Ann @ frabjous fabrica]

There are in fact lots of different sorts of glass for frames these days.  My local custom frame maker has added non reflective glass to the felt pictures they have framed for me and there is almost no reflection obscuring the picture.  I did not get the most expensive, bur even so, it has added a large amount to the cost of framing.  
I cannot remember the name of the glass that they use, but I have found this website
www.wessexpictures.com/cgi-bin/showpage.fcgi which is from a company with outlets around the UK and shows all the different types of glass they can supply.  One of these is TruVue, which is made in the US I believe (or Canada).
I am also of the opinion that it is best to fully frame felt artwork: 1. to keep the dust off; 2. to keep the moths out. and 3.  to stop people touching (possibly with food or just skin oil coming off their hands).
Ann

[lyn]

Apr 22, 2022 20:06:10 GMT Ann @ frabjous fabrica said:

There are in fact lots of different sorts of glass for frames these days.  My local custom frame maker has added non reflective glass to the felt pictures they have framed for me and there is almost no reflection obscuring the picture.  I did not get the most expensive, bur even so, it has added a large amount to the cost of framing.  
I cannot remember the name of the glass that they use, but I have found this website
www.wessexpictures.com/cgi-bin/showpage.fcgi which is from a company with outlets around the UK and shows all the different types of glass they can supply.  One of these is TruVue, which is made in the US I believe (or Canada).
I am also of the opinion that it is best to fully frame felt artwork: 1. to keep the dust off; 2. to keep the moths out. and 3.  to stop people touching (possibly with food or just skin oil coming off their hands).
Ann

Have you found the non-reflective glass to alter the colours of your pictures Ann?

I totally agree about the dust, moths and sticky fingers!

[lyn]

Apr 22, 2022 11:56:58 GMT Shepherdess said:

As a rule, I like things framed. I think it looks more professional for pictures. Perhaps just because that's what I am used to. For me, personally, I like glass because of the dust issue, even the cleanest houses get an accumulation of dust on things that can't easily be dusted. There does seem to be better glass now. There is a new(er) non-glare glass that doesn't dull things but it is very expensive I am told. the problem with not putting highly textured things under glass is people tend to touch them. Textured pieces seem to want to be touched. And who am I to resist temptation. Adding a do not touch sign seems to make it worse. LOL

Unprotected textured felt is like a magnet to inquisitive fingers - I am just as guilty as the rest on that.

[Ann @ frabjous fabrica]

Apr 22, 2022 21:15:06 GMT lyn said:

Apr 22, 2022 20:06:10 GMT Ann @ frabjous fabrica said:

Have you found the non-reflective glass to alter the colours of your pictures Ann?

I totally agree about the dust, moths and sticky fingers!

No I haven't found that my colours changed, or if they did it was so subtle that it was not noticeable.

Actually I wish I had known about the special glass sooner, because I needle felted the face of a white Persian cat.  It got stroked so much that I put it inside what I think was called a shadow box which had ordinary glass in it.  I only managed to get one photo of this and the poor cat looked quite blurred!  Still someone liked it as they bought it for their grandson.

[lyn]

Thank you Ann.

Yes, a shadow box is ideal for textile art that is too thick to go directly under glass - I've found that it needs to be shallow and quite a bit bigger all around than the art otherwise there is a problem with shadow.

Good news that you got a sale of the persian cat!

[lindsay]

I put most of my biggest pictures in a box frame behind glass but I do frame others without glass. Sometimes, for smaller pictures, I take the glass out of pre-made box frames, which keeps the cost down, but I’ve also had some professionally framed without glass. The ones without glass need to be fulled more firmly so they can withstand some rough and tumble if need be. They can be vacuumed with an upholstery attachment or just taken off the wall, turned face down and tapped to get rid of dust.

I’ve also taken to using Velcro hook strips with a sticky backing to attach the felt to the mount. The tiny hooks hold the felt remarkably well. If there’s no glass the felt can be removed from the mount, given a good shake and put back without any hassle. If well-fulled they could even be gently washed, though I haven’t gone that far yet!

[lyn]

May 2, 2022 17:24:02 GMT lindsay said:

I put most of my biggest pictures in a box frame behind glass but I do frame others without glass. Sometimes, for smaller pictures, I take the glass out of pre-made box frames, which keeps the cost down, but I’ve also had some professionally framed without glass. The ones without glass need to be fulled more firmly so they can withstand some rough and tumble if need be. They can be vacuumed with an upholstery attachment or just taken off the wall, turned face down and tapped to get rid of dust.

I’ve also taken to using Velcro hook strips with a sticky backing to attach the felt to the mount. The tiny hooks hold the felt remarkably well. If there’s no glass the felt can be removed from the mount, given a good shake and put back without any hassle. If well-fulled they could even be gently washed, though I haven’t gone that far yet!

Some good tips and advice there Lindsay! I saw someone on tv vacuum cleaning an old textile and he put a stiff mesh over the textile and vacuum cleaned through that.