We took IKEA's Tyglösa frames for a test run this past weekend and it proved to be an easy and inexpensive way to add color and character to one of our walls. As an added bonus, while stocking up on staples at the hardware store, we ran into a very helpful person who used to stretch canvases for a living. We followed her advice and it worked!
1. First, find your crop. We happened to have a long continuous piece of fabric in which we could choose various crops. Alternatively, you could use three different coordinating fabric patterns.
2. Cut the fabric giving yourself plenty of room to wrap the fabric along the returns to the back where you will need to staple it. We used an electric staple gun with the shorter 1/4 inch staples. Make sure you staple on an angle. If you go straight across and you catch the grain of the fabric, the whole piece could tear at the staple point.
3. Put your first staple in at the center of the top. Next, pull tight and staple directly below at the bottom. Then repeat for the left and right sides.
4. Start at the top again and flank the first staple with two more, about 2 inches apart, pulling tight of course. Then repeat for the bottom, the left and the right. Continue stapling, leaving enough room to fold fabric at the corners, about 2 inches.
5. For the corners, fold the fabric so that it’s flat and as smooth as possible. Present wrapping skills will go far here, but note in the photo above that you will end up with a double flap. Try practicing it a couple of times before stapling it.
Note the IKEA Tyglösa Frames, 50 cm x 50 cm ($5 each) have two unexpected features: the inside edge is routered so the the fabric face is smooth, and there is a groove at the back perfectly designed to hang on a nail or two.
(Images: IKEA and Jackie Boucher)
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that looks like a banner from the 2010 Olympics here in Vancouver.. am I right? Great way to display bits and pieces of it.
Oh and a question - I have a couple of these frames sitting around that I haven't managed to do anything with. They came with a little bag of small nails that I had assumed were for attaching the fabric to the frame. Did you find staples worked better than these?
Where did you find this amazing fabric? It goes perfectly with the nautical themed nursery we are putting together for our baby!
michelou, you are right! Those ARE Vancouver 2010 graphics; a project very near and dear to my heart so I couldn't resist putting them up on my wall. Hey, it only took me 6 months! Good eye!
: )
That's a good question. I think that the staples would work better but I'm guessing since I've never tried the nails. If you don't have a good staple gun then the nails might be a decent alternative.
However, given what we learned about stapling on an angle [see point 2 above] I would be careful that the nails don't tear the fabric while you are pulling it tight. Maybe do an experiment with a scrap piece?
ruthie144, I acquired this particular material that was used for a large event in my home town. I think there still are a few things for sale here and there but it may be that most of it is sold out by now.
You can try searching for Vancouver 2010 banners or fabric for sale. If it seems a bit pricey it's because people also want it for nostalgic reasons.
Hope that helps a bit.
: )
Thanks for this little tutorial--I want to try it out--looks great!
Good timing! I have a big piece of african mudcloth that I want to hang. I'd like the clean edges of a stretched canvas, but the fabric itself has 5 narrow panels that were stitched together, and a tight stretch might ruin it.
Any suggestions?
I have done this with pieces of pretty fabric that were too small to use, but too big to just throw away. My grandmother left me about 50 canvases of different sizes in her will and, since I don't paint, I just stretch the fabric over the canvases and staple. Looks great every time and, if I ever take up painting, I can just reclaim the canvases!
@lazy_lurker: 2 ideas
1. back the mudcloth with a sturdier fabric
or
2. stretch a piece of canvas tightly first (so the cloth can't sag into the middle of the frame), then gently wrap your mudcloth as tight as you dare and attach it.
Generally a good how-to, but you avoided the part that is the most difficult -- the corners. Telling us just to keep trying doesn't really help if its something you've a problem with. Really breaking that bit down would have elevated this to really helpful.
thanks for the tutorial!! the double-folded corner tip is very useful. I was thinking of doing a row of frames above my couch but I think this is way more cost effective.
My wife and I have three of these frames in our kitchen. We put them up a couple of years ago, and found the nails to be a little bit of a challenge.