Recently at our Warners Bay store we were lucky enough to receive 2 pairs of ballet pointe shoes within a week of one another! Doing something as unique as these required a lot of thought and detail.
Both customers wanted something quite simple so the framing would not distract from the beauty of the items. Coincidently, both customer chose very similar frame designs.
Within these frames we chose to use a pack out (the internal walls cut from matboards) in a pink colour complementary to the ballet slipper, leaving the back as a simple white matboard.
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Both of these slippers had been worn during earlier ballet performances so they were in obviously used condition. Although this added to the overall look, it did present some challenges. First, we decided to do something with the ribbons because they are a focal point. We took the time to carefully iron them out flat so we could create the illusion of draping bow. Previously, they had been tied in a knot and sat for many years so they needed some TLC to make them presentable. Next, we wanted to make sure the ribbon appeared as if it was naturally hanging so we made a bow which we attached at the top then carefully placed and wiggled the ribbons to create a 3D textured look while still appearing to flow. The second pair that we received only had ribbons on one of the ballet slippers creating an additional challenge. With this pair we decided to attach the ribboned slipper atop the un-ribboned slipper to create the illusion that were both ribboned. Because of this we needed to make the pack out deeper to accommodate for the extra depth needed as can be seen in the photo.
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Due to the weight and size of these slippers we chose to fasten them for extra durability. As mentioned previously, we chose to make a deeper pack-out box which was about 80mm deep so that the slippers had plenty of space to ‘float’ in the frame and breathe. The pack out box was made out of foamcore and double sided tape was used to secure the matboard to the inside of the frame.
Once the pack-out box was created, framed and sealed, we needed to ensure the hanging wire wouldn’t put pressure on and damage the box. To achieve this, we cut small matboard pieces in which we cut a slit to create a right angle that we stuck over the foam box where the wire touches and this protected the box from the pressure of the hanging wire. This is a technique that our senior framer Hamish came up with and it works amazingly well for framing larger objects that require a deeper than normal pack-out.
We are very pleased with the finished framing, and more importantly so are both customers.
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If you need ideas or help with framing your valued shoes or other objects, contact your nearest framing store for an obligation free consultation.
