displaying silk paintings

Dye painted silk artwork can be worn as a scarf and also displayed in your home. Here are some optional methods of display.

curtain rod

One hanging method is to role the top edge over and stitch a sleeve for a rod to slip through. Small diameter curtain rods are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, and at hardware stores like The Home Depot or Lowes etc.  Rods can have fancy finals (end caps) or simple.

When sewing silk, use smooth thread. Fold, position, and iron your silk "sleeve/" Then tape it in place with colorful tape (most visible when sewing). Don't sew through the tape (a nightmare to remove) but beside it. Better than pinning, tape adds structural rigidity and holds silk in place for sewing.

dowel display

For a very inexpensive and informal display, use a small wooden dowel and paper/binder clips that fit the dowel. You'll find clips at your local office supply store. They come in many sizes and colors.

Without sewing a loop/sleeve at the top, the easiest is to clip the silk over a small dowel and hang with threads tacked to the ceiling. In the photos here, the rod is too long. This is just to demonstrate how it's wrapped. But for actual display, cut the rod length to match the width of the silk so no rod shows out the ends. This method allows one to easily remove and occasionally wash or wear the silk.

Avoid using any materials that would rust over time. Rust stains are hard to remove.

movement

Silk can be carefully tacked directly to a wall, but this does not allow any air behind the silk.

In contrast, silk comes to life when it can gently undulate in air currents.
Also, it will collect less dust if not touching the wall.

Pictured above is a custom-made, stainless steel bracket in a public art installation of dye-painted silk.

framing

silk artwork can be framed under reflection control glass. I actually hand-stitch the top edge to the base of cotton matting. There is no need to stretch the silk tight.