Blocking Tip for a Large Canvas

by Lisa
(USA)

Morris Acanthus Rug

Blocking the William Morris Acanthus tapestry (6'2" x 3').

I’m such a newbie to all of this and have little experience. I’d never even heard of stretching and blocking before - my mother-in-law suggested I do this - so I looked up how to do it online. Read many articles. I chose not to purchase a large piece of wood, as this would have been very expensive. I have a large Persian rug in my living room and one article mentioned that in a pinch, one could use carpet. So, I wet the canvas with warm water (spray bottle) on both sides, laid a sheet down, then tacked the canvas down with push pins, upside down and stretched it out. I used brown craft paper lying on top of it cut to size to get the edges straight. Let it dry. Didn’t come out perfectly, but pretty good, considering my lack of expertise! Thank you for your encouragement.