I went through a phase where I was playing around with a wood burning tool so I happened to have a few wooden objects in my closet. I recently stumbled upon this wooden picture frame and decided to upgrade it with some fabric. This is such a simple project to try. What's great about this is that you could try it on other things besides a picture frame, such as a wooden box you might like to personalize. I have seen this done on picture mats as well, which I am looking forward to trying.
It's really easy. All you need is the object you wish to cover in fabric (In this case, the wooden picture frame), some mod podge, and fabric. This amount of fabric will depend on the object you are trying to cover. I wanted my piece a little larger than the frame so that I could cover the sides and wrap the fabric around the back. The black object you see in the photo is straight edge to smooth out the wrinkles. It was unnecessary sinve I ended up just using my hands. I'm sure there are other adhesives you can use but this is what I had and it really worked great. I have read that you can also use watered down school glue as a substitute for mod podge. Make sure to work in a well ventilated area. This stuff has a strong odor. You will also want a pair of scissors to cut your fabric to size and a foam brush to apply the glue. I used a hairdryer to speed the drying process, as well but it is not necessary.
I started by laying my frame on top of the fabric piece. I measured the thickness of the frame to make sure I had enough fabric to cover the side and wrap to around the back. I also added some fusible bond to the back of my fabric. Since I am using a fabric with a white background it can be a little transparent so the fusible bond helps make the fabric a little less see through. I explain about it HERE in my last post if you are interested in learning more.
If you are hanging your frame on the wall you won't be seeing the back. It is o.k. to measure by just folding over the fabric and eyeballing it.
Next, I measured the thickness of the edge in the center. I marked a line in blue where I wanted to cut so that there was enough fabric to wrap around the edges.
I clipped the corners around each edge. I did not take into account that the corners were a little rounded so I wish I had left just a little bit more fabric by making the line just a teeny bit lower but it still came out great despite that.
I took a pair of scissors and cut out the center that I marked earlier.
I added a generous amount of glue and used a foam brush to coat the front of the frame.
I thought it was easier to lay the frame face down of the wrong side of the fabric. Be sure at this point that the fabric is going in the correct direction. This only matters if you have hardware on your frame that will force you to hang it in a certain way. Next, I made snips in each corner of the fabric in the middle opening. I added text to indicate the direction of the cut to make in the photo above. This will allow you to neatly fold back each side. I smeared on some glue and had to play with the edges a little to get them all to lay down. I found I had to hold the fabric down until the glue became a little tacky and then smoothed it with my fingers.
Once the middle was secured I flipped it over and wrapped the side fabric around the back. I started with the left side and worked my way clockwise around the frame.
Lastly, to finish off the project, I added one last coat of glue to the top of the fabric and smoothed out any wrinkles.
Once it's dry, add your favorite picture then admire your work! Coordinate any frame with your decor. Add a themed fabric to represent the occasion in the photo.
The birthday fabric above is available HERE if you would like to make a birthday frame for someone special.
Thanks for stopping by!
Pam