Several years ago, we purchased two, coordinating art pieces from a
home decorating store. The artwork was priced right and went well in the dining/living room - the black frames and silver mats picked up on the other accents in the room, and the scene was reminiscent of my beloved marsh. After a year or so, I began to feel the muted tones and intentional fuzziness of the picture were depressing. I took the prints down, stashed them in a closet, and replaced them with metal, sculptural wall art.
As we unpacked and decorated our new house, I rediscovered the prints. Short on art and heavy on walls, I tried the old prints in the new dining room. New house, new walls, new vibe, right? I still liked the frame and mat, but the pictures continued to remind me of trying to see through the windshield during a foggy rainstorm (oddly, this is a recurring nightmare of mine). The prints also seemed too
traditional for what I wanted the room to
feel like. I had to make a change. Determined not to pay retail for more generic art, I looked for inspiration everywhere - art fairs, thrift shops, estate sales, etc.
This past week, I found my inspiration in this tablecloth:
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| Inspiration for new wall art |
The fun, whimsical, yet sophisticated art on this Merimekko tablecloth made me smile as soon as I spied it. In the store, the tablecloth fabric was stretched over a canvas and hung on the wall as art. The motif reminded me of a decorative platter I already have in my dining room, and speaks to the framed, black-and-white sketch art in my living room. I bought a tablecloth and three napkins and headed home.
Originally, I figured I would cut up the tablecloth and staple it to stretcher frames. Ultimately, I decided to use the tablecloth as designed (on the table) and frame two of the napkins instead. Keep reading to learn how to I did it:
How To Update Artwork from Framed Print to Framed Fabric:
Materials:
- Fabric - in my case, I used a 20" x 20" napkin for each frame
- Iron and ironing board
- Pencil
- Tape Measure or Ruler
- Scissors
- Tape
- Framed Print
General How-To:
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| Napkin before ironing |
- Place the framed art on a large work surface, front-side down and carefully slit the paper backing on three sides using scissors.Note: I worked on the dining room floor.
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| Slit paper backing on three sides. |
- Peel the paper backing.
Note: You should notice small metal tabs hold artwork in place.
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| Peel paper back to reveal metal tabs. |
- Bend back the metal tabs, and remove artwork.
Note: Leave the glass in the frame and clean it is necessary.
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| Remove artwork, but leave glass in place. |
- Gently pull mat free from print.
Note: In my case, the mat was attached using double-sided tape. Be very careful to not bend or damage the mat.
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| Separate mat from artwork. |
- Run the mat over your fabric (napkin) until you determine the desired arrangement. Mark with a pencil and cut fabric to desired size using scissors or a rotary cutter.
Note: I cut a 13" x 13" square of fabric, which left a 1/2 " selvage on all sides.
- Tape fabric to mat on back side.
Note: Pull fabric taut before you apply tape. Depending on the fabric weight, you may want to use duct tape.
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| Cut fabric to size and tape to back of mat. |
- Place mat back in frame and top with flipped over artwork. Press metal tabs down to hold everything in place.
Note: Placing artwork back in the frame strengthens everything. I flipped mine because the white backing of my artwork is white - it will not bleed through the white fabric. Adjust according to your specific artwork/fabric combination.
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| Place artwork back in frame, front side facing back. |
- Fold paper backing back over your work and tape.
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| Tape paper backing to secure |
- You're done! Hang back on the wall and admire your work.
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| New Artwork |
I love how this simple update brings a smile to my face every time I walk through the room. I cannot believe I did not update those frames sooner - it was such an easy project. I had the frames on hand and spent less than twenty dollars on the napkins.
When my tastes change (and they will), I can easily update the frames again.
Want to try this, but don't have a piece of artwork you need to change out? Garage sales and thrift shops are full of gently used frames/artwork. If the artwork is not your taste, but the frame is in good shape, buy it and change out the art! Or, just pick up a new frame at a craft shop and frame away!
