The design, on bright white paper is taped onto the back of the wooden screen, with masking tape.
I use a combination of steel pins and Chinese suspension hooks, to stretch the silk onto the frame.
Begin at the ends first, as seen in the video.
(While stretching, make sure that the silk is stretched as evenly, and as taut as possible.)
When pinning the sides, try to place the hooks as equidistant apart as possible, and place the steel pins in a straight line along the wooden frame, stretching the silk as you go.
Do the same on the second side, taking care to keep stretching the silk.
NB. Make sure that the hooks are placed opposite the hooks on the first side.
REMEMBER, to aim at getting the silk as taut as possible for the application of the gutta and the paints or dyes.
When stretching is complete, the silk should be as taut, bouncy to the touch, and not sagging!
NB. I also use wooden skewers to raise the silk off the wooden frame, especially when one is ready to begin painting.
