Which size frame do I need for painting a silk scarf?

Wondered “Which size frame do I need for the silk?”

Are you about to paint on silk and you’d like to know how I stretch silk for my own silk painting projects?

I recommend one of the least expensive solutions:

Artist Stretcher bars

They are available worldwide in art supply stores and other places online, and I’ll list a few Australian stores below. The brand I have found when travelling overseas and within Australia is Fredrix Artist Stretcher Bars (view on Amazon US).

Apart from price, the other main reason I love these wooden frames is because they are SO EASY to assemble – and to pull apart. When teaching students all over the world, this has been the easiest and most cost-effective solution for me to teach.

Let’s get started!

The first step is to know the measurements of the silk. In this case, let’s use a square silk scarf as an example. The photo below shows one of my own handpainted silk designs as a large square scarf.

In my experience, the most common size for a square scarf is:

• 92x92cm / 36×36 inches

If I lay a square wooden frame on a table in my art Studio, and then lay a scarf inside that frame, I notice the following:

1. the scarf needs to be stretched towards the wooden frame on four sides
2. I will need to leave a slight gap between the silk and the wooden frame
3. the width of each of the wooden bars is approximately 4cm/1.5 inches
4. I decide to allow a total of 5cm / 2 inches on each of the 4 sides of the scarf

The wooden frame dimensions (outside measurements) need to be:

• 92cm + 5cm + 5cm = 102cm / 36″ + 2″ + 2″ = 40″
• so 102cm/40″ x 102cm/40″.

This gives me a starting point to know which size wooden stretcher bars I need.

Other things to consider

The type of silk being painted

• if the silk is Habotai (weight 8 Mommie), it will stretch a small amount to be tightened on the frame
• when the Habotai silk is wet, it loosens the weave and can “sag” on the frame
• the silk might need to be tightened even further as it becomes wet, so I need to consider this for the size of the wooden frame – should I use a larger size? The answer to this comes after much practice and handpainting many types of silk over many decades (around 40 years already!)
• if the silk is a heavier weight (Crepe de China [China Silk], Twill, etc) it will be a thirstier silk and will need much more dye to saturate it, and may also need to be stretched much further. If this is the case, it may also need a larger frame.

My Recommendations

• start with the idea of a smaller project, for example 25cm/10-12″ square
• buy and assemble a small wooden frame from 4 x stretcher bars
• paint the silk, stretch it half way through, experiment, and learn how to adjust your painting techniques – this will help when working on larger projects.

Easy-to-make Frames for larger Projects

Over the past few years many people around the world have started making plastic frames from white plastic plumbers’ tubes. These are great!

• easy to assemble and pull apart
• easy to wipe down
• can be made into many sizes and shapes

 

Can’t afford to buy artist stretcher bars?

If you’re on a very tight budget and you’re happy to pop over to your local Bunnings / hardware store:

• work out the measurements you’ll need
• and ask if they can cut lightweight wood for you
• also ask if they can “staple” the corners together to make a square
• or if they can recommend a very strong glue to glue the 4 sides together.
• This will be a makeshift solution if you need this in a hurry.

If you have more time:

• ask them to drill holes in the 4 corners
• and to recommend which nuts/wingnuts and bolts to buy to attach the corners together.
• This is how I created my own frames for many, many years 🙂

Where To Buy Artist Stretcher Bars Online within Australia

• Etsy >>
• TheArtShopcom.au Pricing >>
• ArtShedBrisbane.com.au >>
• and many more

Before You Go … The One Frame I do NOT recommend

Many years ago I tried lots of types of frames for my silk painting, and the one type which drove me crazy with its inflexibility was the one with cut-out sections on each side of the frame.

Why?

1. it was impossible to re-stretch the silk as it got heavier with dye
2. it was clunky and fell apart easily if bumped
3. it wasn’t practical
4. a beginner could be easily overwhelmed and disheartend trying to use this type of frame – and as a beginner, it needs to be MUCH easier than trying to master this …

It looked like this:

 

I was so releived when I started using the Fredrix Artist Stretcher bars – so quick and easy to assemble, resize and pull apart 🙂

Have a fabulous day!

I hope this info on the frames I use (and don’t use) for painting on silk has helped – if you have any questions, please get in touch and I’ll do my best to help 🙂

• contact me on Facebook
• contact me on Youtube
• contact me by writing an email
• send me a voicemail on my website – there is a long button on the right hand side of the screen 
• please note that this article contains a couple of affiliate links which means I may receive a few cents if you buy something from Amazon after you click a link.

Have a spectacular day arty-farty person 😀

See you soon!

Teena Hughes