How to Frame a Football Shirt: 5 Easy Steps
Do you want to preserve a signed football shirt or a fond childhood jersey? Well, a framed football shirt protects it from dust and fading light, and it turns it into proper wall art.
Whether it is one of your favourite retro shirts or a kids' kit your little one has outgrown, here's how to frame a football shirt yourself.
Items Required
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A frame: Many tutorials use a 40x50cm frame. IKEA has replaced its old RIBBA frames with the RÖDALM range, sold in sizes up to 61x91cm. So measure your shirt first.
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A backing board: This can be a stiff cardboard or foam board, cut slightly smaller than the frame so it fits inside. Craft shops like Hobbycraft sell foam boards in A1 and A2 sheets.
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Masking tape: It holds the shirt in place without damaging the fabric. Any DIY shop has this.
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Fine pins (optional): Professional framers use entomology pins pushed through the seams, which leaves no visible marks. You can find them online.
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A steamer or iron: Use it to remove creases before framing.
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A pencil and scissors: They are for marking and trimming the board around the collar.
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The shirt: Signed or unsigned, it doesn't matter.
How to Frame a Football Shirt in 5 Steps
These steps teach you how to put a football shirt in a frame using nothing more than a frame and a piece of cardboard.
1. Wrap the Shirt Around the Board
Slide the cardboard inside the shirt and wrap the fabric around it. Pull the shirt until the front looks smooth. This part takes time, but doing it properly makes the result look much better.
Pro tip: Make sure to steam or iron your shirt before anything else.
Image Source: Jersey Passion
2. Open the Frame
Bend the small black tabs on the back of the frame away from you, then lift out the back panel. If the front has protective film on both sides, peel it off now.
Pro tip: Ensure the color and background of the frame match the football shirt.
Image Source: Jersey Passion
3. Place the Shirt Face Down
Lay the wrapped shirt face down on the front panel. If the shirt number or signature is at the back, then the back of the shirt faces out. Be sure to make a few adjustments before it sits flat.
Image Source: Jersey Passion
4. Close the Frame
Put the back panel on and fold the tabs down the same way you opened them. Turn the frame over every now and then to check that nothing has slipped before closing it fully.
Image Source: Jersey Passion
5. Check and Adjust
Flip the frame over and check the finished result. If it doesn't look right, open it and adjust it again.
Image Source: Jersey Passion
How Much Does It Cost to Frame a Football Shirt?
Doing it yourself costs between £15 and £27 for a single shirt. Here's where that comes from:
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Frame: IKEA’s RÖDALM costs £10 at 40x50cm, £15 at 50x70cm, and £19 at 61x91cm.
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Backing board: Hobbycraft’s 5mm A1 white foam board is £4.50, or four for £12.
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Masking tape: a 50m roll costs around £3.
Professional framing costs a lot more. Specialist services start from about £55, and some of them could charge between £79 and £109 for a single shirt.
How to Save Money:
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Use IKEA frames: Many people spend between £6 per frame at IKEA and £14 on tape and card to frame multiple shirts. This saves money compared to professional framers who charge a lot more.
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Buy boards in bulk: Hobbycraft’s four-for-£12 deal saves you a lot of money.
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Check discount shops: Go through a lot of online shops before making a purchase to see if you can get discounts.
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Save the pros for special shirts: Instead of going to professional framers for every football shirt, save them for special ones like signed or match-worn ones.
Jersey Framing Tips and Hacks
Keep these tips in mind the next time you want to frame a football shirt yourself:
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Trace around the collar on the board and trim it, so no card shows at the neck.
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Tape the edges with 25mm framer’s tape to stop the shirt from moving.
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Never glue or staple the fabric, and steam from a safe distance near printed badges.
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Don't wash a signed shirt before framing it.
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For signed shirts, standard glass blocks almost no UV, which could lead to fading. But museum glass blocks around 99% and should be used. A cheaper DIY fix is UV film.
How to Find More Football Shirts Worth Framing
Now you know how to frame a football shirt, choosing which goes on the wall is the harder part.
At Concept Kits, we stock retro football shirts from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and the 00s, from clubs like Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich.
You will find shirts like:
New shirts arrive all the time, and if you can't find the one you want, get in touch, and we will do our best to track it down. Find your next frame-worthy shirt at Concept Kits today.
