#DIYartProject: Fabric Covered Canvas

With Christmas around the corner next month, I started thinking of DIY Projects I could craft up as gift ideas for family and friends. I turned to Pinterest and found some special fabric-art canvases and decided this would be a perfect gift for all the married couples in my life. A project like this can add up quickly in the $$ department, so part of this post is to share how I created the canvas gifts but also how to save a few dollars while doing it.

Materials Needed:

- Art Canvas (8"x10" for the smaller ones; 12"x16" for the larger ones)

- Fabric or Burlap (cut to 12"x14" or 16"x20")

- Rotary Cutter and cutting mat (I used the same one I use for sewing projects)

- Staple Gun & Staples

- Wooden letters

- Acrylic Paint

- Paint brushes

- Decorative ribbon, accent leaves or holly

- E6000 Industrial Strength Adhesive

Where to purchase:

Dollarama

8"x10" Canvas ($1.50 each)

12"x16" Canvas ($2.00 each)

Acrylic Paint ($1.00 each)

Paint Brushes ($1.25 a pack)

Walmart

Wooden Letters ($1.47 each)

Fabricland

Burlap 0.5mx1.5m ($12.00)

Fabric (for these projects I used fabric pieces from my collection for sewing)

Michaels Craft Store

Grey & White Chevron fabric 1.5 yards ($7.00)

Holiday accents ($0.60-$1.00 each)

Decorative Ribbon - used to frame the outside edge of the canvas ($4.00 each)

I made 5 small canvases and 3 larger canvases with the above supplies. So each canvas works out to be about $12.00 per small canvas & $15.00 for all three larger canvases.

Sizing Burlap to fit Canvas

Steps for putting the canvases together:

#step 1: cut fabric or burlap to fit the canvas block

Using my rotary cutter and cutting mat, I cut up all the fabric/burlap pieces first.

Attach the fabric/burlap to the canvas blocks using your Staple Gun. After you attach one side, pull the fabric tight and do the opposite end, then fold over each of the side (length wise) and attach. 

Painting the Wooden Letters

#step 2: wooden letters

Using your acrylic paint, cover the wooden letters with the paint colour you desire. *Note: you might need to sand down the rough edges on the wooden letter for a smoother paint finish.

Set aside to let dry

#step 3: paint on the fabric/burlap

For these gifts, I decide I would write the couple's last name and the year they were married directly onto the fabric/burlap. I am blessed with nice penmanship so I did not use any templates, but I would recommend this because it will help you stay within the lines. Painting onto the burlap was tricky.

Set aside to let dry

#step 4: finishing touches

Once your wooden letter and the other paint is dried, take your Industrial Strength Adhesive (Super Glue was not strong enough), and attach the wooden letter and decorative pieces. Set aside to dry.

*Note: Industrial Strength Adhesive is very strong (fumes) so best to do this in an area where you can open a window or set aside to dry outdoors (like a garage).

For our Best Friends New Home

For the In-Laws

3 Canvases for our Bedroom