Go to Michaels,Value craft or whatever craft/framing store you have and buy a piece of mat board.
How large is your picture??
Kathi

Bren, it's expensive, but whenever I have a large piece of needlework to frame I go to JoAnn's or Michael's and have the professionals do it. If you get on JoAnn's mailing list, all their sale flyers have a 40 or 50% off coupon on custom framing. Smaller pieces I frame myself with either the sticky board or a piece of mat board and masking tape.

Donna

I agree about not using the sticky back boards...they are terrible when you have to peel something off to launder it.

I usually get a sheet of mat board from Michaels to back my Hummel pictures on. I use to use masking tape until I discovered it dries out, stains the fabric and really doesn't hold on the back so I now limit the masking tape to taping project edges to work on them. I started using mounting tape and tabs and found that to be much better.

My only gripe with Michaels is that they used double sided tape to attach my sister's school pictures to a collage that I now can't get out of the frame without damaging the original pictures (one of my mother's projects where she wouldn't listen about using copies)...I want to use that frame for a Hummel that is just about done.

My other "hot" project is a 30 years old Sturbridge Village linen kitchen towel I want to frame and have a spot for in my dining room...it's a neat picture of a covered bridge.

My picture area is 14x21 the material is 17x24. It is called the rose of Sharon. It is a woman standing in a scupltured archway covered in a rose vine. She is wearing a long flowing dress. I worked on her on and off for 10 years, with other projects mixed in.
I can't afford to have it done at Michaels, if I did it would have to sit in a drawer for at least a couple more years until I could afford it. I have found a Krylon spray adhesive that says it is acid free that I am hoping is safe. Does anyone know otherwise?
Also I have been told mdf board (medium density fiber)is stable and should discolour the fabric.
I think I have to use an adhesive because I can't wrap it around the edges.
Anymore advise or suggestions would also be appreciated

You can sew a piece of muslin around the edges to give you more room to wrap it.The mat will cover it up and no one will know it's there but you,unless you tell them.i have also used mat board that i wrapped first with fusible fleece.I only fused the fleece in a few spots.Then i wrapped it all around to the back and using just a few shots of spray adhesive to hold it in place.Once the mat and frame are on it,that sucker is not gonna move.At least none of mine ever have.I don't make mine to last 100's of years,if they do that's icing on the cake.I just make them to last as long as i or the recepient wants them to.JMO
Kathi

Never use masking tape for framing. You should use some type of professional mounting tape for framing and mount it to the foam board with the tape. My friend is a framer and does mine and I forgot what exactly she calls the tape but you get it at a framing supply place. She uses a lot of pins to stretch it on the board and get it even before she tapes it off. Also another way to do it is the lacing method, here are some instructions for that.

I will never use the craft store for framing because here they are a rip off. I went to Joanne's once with a framing coupon just to see how much to frame my 11x14 statue of liberty and they wanted about $120 and said for that price I could get a nice plastic frame and that was after the discount so I said no way. I had always had them done at my local LNS because he is wonderful and that's where I took it and it was $40 with mats and a nice wooden frame. Now my friend does them for me at cost so it's an even better deal because I can pick out the frame at the wholesale place and she buys it for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: streching technique

Bren, I thought MDF was like plywood...that's what they use to build furniture on Trading Spaces.