Editor: Janome America

Wednesday, 01 July 2009 03:00

Today's fabrics are so gorgeous and artistic, they really belong in an art gallery. Well, that's the idea behind our No-Sew Fabric Paintings using fabrics from Amy Butler's Belle Collection. It's a no-frills project to add splashes of color to your walls – and a super easy way to coordinate your home decor from pillow to throw to wall art.

All you need is an unfinished frame, some fabric, and a staple gun to create art in an instant. This is DIY at its easiest!

Sewing Tools You Need

None!

Fabric and Other Supplies

Piece of fabric five inches larger than frame in all directions (we used Olive/Oxford Stripe and Clay Coriander from Amy Butler's Belle Collection)
Piece of batting five inches larger than frame in all directions (optional)
Wooden frame
Staple gun and staples

Getting Started

First, you need to decide how large you would like your fabric painting to be. Once you know, you can either create your own frame or purhcase a pre-made frame. Keep in mind you will be stapling fabric over the frame, so it doesn't need to be pretty – in fact, the more unfinished the better. You can create your own frame with 1" x 3" boards, a hand saw, a drill, and some screws. Or you can purchase a frame at your local arts and craft store. Or you can scour the weekend's garage sale for cheap empty frames.
Now that you have established the size for your fabric painting and found your frame, you can cut your fabric and batting to size. You need the fabric and batting to wrap around the edges of the frame, so allow enough excess fabric to do so. Four inches on each side should be sufficient for most frames, but if yours has unusually thick edges, you may need to leave more.
Center the batting in the frame. Pull it taut and wrap the batting over the edge of the frame so the edge of the batting rests on the back of the frame. Use the staple gun to staple the batting in place. Note: You can create the painting without batting, but the batting allows for softer edges and provides a backing to give more defenition to lighter fabrics.
With the right side facing out, center the fabric on the batting covered frame. Pull it taut and wrap the fabric over the edge of the batting and frame. Use the staple gun to staple the fabric in place.
Hang your instant masterpiece and invite a few art critics over for wine and cheese.