If you put glass on your pieces, it can get dirty on the outside AND on the inside (did you know that?) A customer brought in a Paula Vaughn she stitched in the 80's. She needed a new hanger on the back, and I noticed a little bit of foggy haze on the inside of the glass and offered to take it apart and clean it for her. I do this to my pieces with glass every now and then -- it's amazing how much fresher they look with just a good cleaning. If you're just cleaning the glass on the front side, remember to spray the cloth first, then wipe the glass with it. Glass cleaner can sneak under the edges of the frame if you spray, wetting your mats and making a real mess.
If you don't put glass on your needlework pieces, you can give them a little spit shine (that's just a figure of speech -- please don't spit on your needlework!) A reader gave me a great tip about vacuuming the front of a piece. Attach a small piece of pantyhose material around the end of your vacuum wand attachment, and then use a gentle touch to vacuum the front of the piece. The dust will all come up, but you don't have to worry about sucking the beads and embellishments off the front of your piece.
Matting can really date a piece, too. It's part of the reason I usually frame without mats these days. You tend to pick out the colors in the piece that are trendy when you select your framing, and then in six or seven years, those colors are so passe. But needlework can easily be re-matted in more up-to-date colors if you like, or something more neutral. You may notice that mats 20 years old or so may even have a dark (sometimes orange-colored) bevel on them. Those mats should be removed and replaced. Mats have come a long way in 20 years, but they used to be very acidic, and can be damaging your fabric underneath the mat. Your local framer can help you with matting -- they'll usually charge you for the mat and an open/close fee. New paper and a new hanger on the back of the piece will be nice, too.
Frames can also be updated -- if you framed with a wood style or color you don't like anymore, give the frame a paint job. You can buy paints in so many colors these days. And if you have glass on the front of your piece, you can paint with the piece in the frame! Use masking tape to cover the glass around the inside edge of the front of the frame (that way, if you're a little sloppy, you can just pull the tape off, and no paint will be on the glass.) If you do get paint on the glass, just use a razor blade to scrape it off.
If you have a frame that is looking a little abused, you can fix that up, too. Sometimes your frame may get scratches or dings, and a lighter color shows through (the natural color of the wood). You can buy special markers at your local hardware store, and simply touch up the frame by coloring your dings and dents. Wood-colored putties are also available for larger dents, or missing chunks. If you have a frame that's come apart a little bit at the corners, your resident handyman (or framer) can take the piece out of the frame, then glue and re-nail the corners of the frame together, so they're tight again.
You might even just enjoy seeing your needlework in different places. If you've had the same picture hanging in the same spot for 10 years, move it! Sometimes just seeing your piece in a new environment will give it a fresh look to you.
I hope you enjoy your needlework for many years to come, and that May brings you lots and lots of flowers.
© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com