DIY: Fabric Art

I've been feathering my nest. It's a hormone thing. 

I first came across this fabric art project a few years ago on some (tragically) long forgotten DIY blog. I fell in love with it because it required easily obtainable supplies and the process was super simple. In under an hour, you can have gorgeous fabric art for your walls! Who doesn't have a blank wall that could use some color? It's a project as versatile as the print of the fabric and is perfect for nurseries, family rooms, or kitchens - like the one above! 

As for supplies, you'll only need three things: about 2 yards of the fabric of your choice, canvas stretcher bars, and metal thumbtacks. For fabric, a bold, large print will work best. You can use any fabric that isn't sheer - you don't want to be able to see through it to the wall after it's hung! I found my fabric here. (You can order a swatch to make sure your choice is to your liking.) Personally, I've had lots of luck with fabric designers like Michael Miller - there are some amazing designs available online!

Canvas stretcher bars are wooden (read: fabulously inexpensive) interlocking bars used by artists to stretch and mount canvas. They can be found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and have interlocking grooves that fit together. You'll need four to make a rectangle or square. I made a rectangle from two 28-inch and two 22-inch stretcher bars.

After your supplies are gathered, cut the fabric to the appropriate size, leaving three inches of excess material on all sides. Slide your wooden bars together to make the frame (husbands with muscles come in handy here - the bars can stick a bit sometimes!) There's no need to apply glue or any adhesive to the bars; the grooves will fit snugly and securely together. 

Lay your frame over the fabric, making sure the print is aligned with the frame, fold the sides of the fabric to fit the frame, and tack it down - it's as simple as that! I used thumbtacks every three to four inches, but that's kind of overkill: let's face it, the fabric isn't going anywhere once you put in a few tacks.  

Ten points if you can spot my toes. 

I put two tacks near the corners to ensure the fabric would lay flat. Depending on how you fold over the fabric, it may bunch a bit around the corners. It's nothing to worry about - simply tack it down. To make this  project even simpler, you could simply fold the sides of the fabric over the frame, cut off the excess, and tack it down. I folded it so it would have a nice finished look on the back, but no one's going to know if you don't do that. It is, after all, the back of the picture!

To hang it, just put up two nails and slide the frame on. So easy-peasy!

Please go make this. It's impossibly inexpensive, and your friends will all ask you where you got it. Pinky promise.