Guest Post: Confessions of a Fabric Hoarder

Hello fellow crafty girls!  Sharon and I are excited to share with you a first--a guest blogger!  (If you recall, last week we celebrated our first guest post on someone else's blog--Sew Homegrown to be precise--but this week, we have a guest on our very own blog!)  Our fabric-hoarding friend Laura created some super fabulous wall art very inexpensively and as soon as Sharon and I saw it we knew it needed to be shared!  Take it away, Laura!

 

 

A big thanks and a big hug to my two crafty friends, Tristin and Sharon, for letting me share one of my ideas with you! Aren't these gals great? I feel more crafty just sitting by them in church! Over the weekend my husband and I hosted a little gathering with our dear friends for dinner and fun around the fire pit. Among the taco shells and s'more-building, the girls noticed my freshly created wall art. That was the first time anybody besides my husband had seen it, so I'm glad it was a hit!

 

I LOVE PRETTY FABRICS. Love, love, love them. I could spend most of my day looking at rows and rows of fabrics in the craft store. Sometimes I do when preparing for my next project, just waiting for a color or theme to jump out at me. I believe my love of fabrics is matched only by Sharon and Tristin's love for scrapbook paper! If you looked in my closet, you would find bins full of neatly folded fabrics that I bought on a whim because I thought they were so pretty, and figured I would get around to creating something later.

My name is Laura, and I am a fabric hoarder.

 

The thing is, I can only make so many quilts, throws and table toppers before my patience and my eyesight from quilting has long gone. The solution: wall art! It's a simple and inexpensive way to personalize a corner of your home, while utilizing those gorgeous patterns and prints.

 

Here's what you will need:

• Art canvas (there are a ton of sizes and dimensions, so just choose what works for your space)
• Pretty fabric (enough to cover the art canvas and wrap around the back)
• Hot glue gun or staple gun
• Scissors
• Tape

1. First, lay your fabric print side down and lay your art canvas facing down on top of the fabric. If the pattern is one with lines that need to be straight, or there is a certain portion of the print you want to display, be sure to line that up now before cutting.

 

2. Once you have the canvas placed and measured, cut off any excess fabric.

 

3. Fold the fabric up and around to the back of the canvas and tape it in place (this step just makes it easier on you when you begin gluing).

 

4. Next, take your glue gun (or staple gun- I didn't have one, so I improvised!), remove the tape from one side and make a line down the edge of the canvas, then quickly fold the fabric over the glue to secure. I mention doing this quickly because if you wait over just a few seconds, the glue dries and hardens, and you're left with a lumpy mess that you just have to either scrape off or glue over, and nobody needs that kind of stress in their lives!

 

5. If you're good at wrapping gifts, then the rest is a piece of cake. If you're not, no worries, glue can mask a world of imperfections! Just fold the corners like you would a package with gift wrap, and glue it down. Simple, huh? Now go find a nail and a bare wall and display your cool new wall art!

Let your imagination and creativity roam with this fun project.  The one I just assembled for you is 8"x 8".

 

 

I had a corner of my den that just needed some love, so I used several 16"x 20" canvas to create this masterpiece. You could easily mix up the sizes, and arrange them however you want. I mentioned that this was an inexpensive project, so lemme break it down for ya...and don't forget to take advantage of those craft store coupons!

 

For one 16"x20" fabric-covered canvas you'll pay:

  $2.40 16"x20" Art canvas                   
+$2.66 1/3 yard pretty fabric                                                                                            
  $5.06

 

Just over $5!! Now that's a deal. So, if you're a self-proclaimed fabric hoarder like me, grab some art canvas and create something unique. Let the fabric's inspiration be your guide!