I’m excited to be included in this fun series! Please go check out Living with Punks to see all the other awesome home projects she’s gathered over there! jackpot! and…Holy cow, I want to find a chair like the one above and have a party with it! I love to make things for my house!
I’m kicking myself because literally the day before I heard about this ‘home’ series, I posted my tutorial for super easy valances for your windows….you can check that out {here}. And of course we lots of other ‘ home’ projects, but one of my favorite things to make for my house involves applique and words…it’s kind of like the long-cut for a totally cute printable. I’ve had my eye on such a project for a while, so I thought it was the perfect time to work on it!
I’ve got a cute little girlie over at my house with the most awesome freckles, ever! I’ve seen this quote floating around, and knew that Scarlet needed it in her room. She shares a room with her older sister, and their room is super bright and colorful.
I was also gifted a system from Pottery Barn Teen of 4 squares that you hang together to make a decorative bulletin board, magnet board, peg board, etc (Have you see those?) I didn’t love the fabric on them, so I’ve been holding on to them to give them a makeover…I thought this was the perfect opportunity. Here’s a pic of what I started with:
If you don’t have these (who does?!?) This project could be totally replicated with just a square of plywood…or even placed in an empty picture frame. This piece is 16 x 16, and all measurements (as far as the letters go) are cut according to that, but could be easily adjusted!
To start off, prepare your piece… for me, that meant tearing it apart, which was informative to me! The original fabric was held down with super sticky double-sided tape (good info for future reference!)
also, the original board was layered with a piece of foam-core board (you can get that stuff at the Dollar Store!) So, If you’re starting with just a piece of wood, layer it with some foam core, and get out your double-sided tape! I just reused that stuff.
The first real step is to cut a swatch of fabric that is large enough to cover the front and still have enough to go around to the back to secure it. I cut mine about 20 x 20 just to be safe, and then I trimmed later on in the project.
Second, start cutting your letters! Iron wonder-under or heat-n-bond onto the back of your fabric before cutting it, according to the instructions.
I used a Cricut to cut the majority of my letters. I used the Sans Serif Cartridge for a basic font. Freckles, though I picked a font off of the computer, and printed out, traced it, and then cut it by hand. The whole project could be done like this! No special Cricut or Silhouette tools needed.
Here are the heights for each row of lettering:
A GIRL: 3 inches
WITHOUT: 1.75 inches
freckles: The F (the largest letter) is about 3 inches high…
IS LIKE: 2 inches
A NIGHT WITHOUT: 1 inch
STARS: 3 inches
Next, use a disappearing ink marker to mark the edge of your board, so you know how much surface area you have to work with while laying out your letters.
Remove the paper backing from the back of each letter…
And then lay out your letters on top of your white fabric:
When they are laid out how you like it, go ahead and iron all of the letters into place very carefully. (Follow the wonder-under instructions for this as well) After they are ironed in place, you’ll need to stitch around each letter.
Then the easy part: Lay your work face-down, and then put your foam-core-covered board on top of that.
Layer some double-sided tape right along the edge of your board, and, if you need to trim your white fabric, now is the time to do it! I started by folding down the edges just a little bit to make sure my words were lined up nicely on the other side. I made several adjustments until it was right.
Next you just need to fold-in the corners so they have a mitered look. It should stick temporarily to the double-sided tape, but I would use a staple gun to attach it permanently. Hang a hook on the back, and if you’re using wood, you’re done!
I had to re-poke through some screw holes,
…and then replace the backing to hang it up.
I love decorating with words, and homemade art…those are the pieces in my home that get the most compliments.
