Getting the Work on the Wall ... or in the Hand

There are SO many ways to use your fabric collages! Besides making them in sizes to fit into an art vending machine (if you’re lucky enough to have one in your community), you can hang these little ones from ribbons or give them away in your studio or gallery. The purple square in the photo below is the piece of mat board cut to the size of the collage. I attach these to the backs of the little collages with soft gel medium. It makes a great backing for your business information or a short note, as well as making it a finished piece.

 Frame your work in traditional or shadow box frames.The collages in the deep white frames below have spacers between the art work and the glazing, in this case plexiglass.

The art work below is framed with a mat but without glazing, so that the texture is conspicuous. Many of my fabric pieces are framed in this way, and those seem to appeal to more buyers that the unframed pieces. I also frequently use a frame with glass, especially when my work is being exhibited in shows dominated by other other media, such as paintings.

One of my favorite display methods for my collages is to mount them on prepared canvas, almost always painted to coordinate with the art work. (An example is on the right.) This method is also appealing to potential buyers, as the canvases are very easy to hang. I attach the collage to the mat either with large but invisible stitches or with soft gel medium.









My Pink House collage to the left is hung with a wood slat in a sleeve on the back of the piece with a small holes for nails on each end, all hidden on the back. It is a more traditional way of hanging a fabric piece, and just right for this piece with its irregular edges and homey feel.

These last pieces were hung with simple tabs and small branches, in keeping with the forest theme and natural look. It's a bit tricky to hang a piece with these uneven branches. I had to try out several before finding the right ones, and then made small holes in the branches that the nails slid through.

Just a few of many ways to show off your fabric collages. I'd love to hear about your favorite methods.

Posted by Cris Winters.