The lush foliage of summer may be thinning a bit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add some color to a backyard or deck this time of year.
Have you seen the selection of oilcloth and laminates at fabric stores lately? It’s not just gingham and tropical flowers. These days, you can find some of the most creative and talented fabric designers offering part of their collections in oilcloth or laminated cotton and linen. Two of my favorite sources are Superbuzzy () and Harts Fabric ().
Laminates are cousins to wipeable vinyl oilcloth, but the new ones are coated cotton, so they have more drape and softness than traditional oilcloth, while still being water-resistant.
Put a piece in an old frame to bring a hit of color and pattern to an outdoor area. I spray the wooden frame with polyurethane to make it waterproof but bring it indoors during the winter to be on the safe side.
If you have fabric left over, you can use laminates to make place mats and tablecloths. The fabric doesn’t fray, so there’s no sewing required: Simply snip and you’re done.
Of course, this project doesn’t need to be made with water-resistant material. If you find fabric that makes you swoon, there’s no reason you can’t simply hang a piece of it in a frame indoors. These days, there’s no question that many fabrics qualify as art.
YOU’LL NEED:
Old frame with mat (no glass needed)
Spray polyurethane (optional)
Laminated cotton or linen or oilcloth, enough to fit your frame
Pencil or pen
Ruler
Scissors
2 to 3 cans of food or soft drinks (for weights)
Glue
Duct tape
Hardboard or corrugated cardboard, big enough to fit in frame (optional)
Utility knife
4 panel pins or small nails
Hammer
HOW TO:
1. Remove the mat from the frame. If you want to coat the frame in polyurethane, do so now and let it dry.
2. Determine the section of fabric you want to use by placing the empty frame over it. Make a small pencil or pen mark inside each corner of the frame on the fabric.
3. Remove the frame and position the mat according to the marks. Use a ruler and pencil to mark lines 1 inch beyond the edges of the mat. Cut the fabric along the lines.
4. Center the mat on the front of the fabric and place two or three cans on the mat to keep it in place. Pull each edge of the fabric over an edge of the mat, and trace along the mat edges onto the fabric. This will show you where to place the mat once you flip the fabric.
5. Turn the fabric so the back faces up, and connect your marks with a ruler. At each corner, make a diagonal cut from the corner of the fabric to the corner of the mat to make folding easier.
6. Start on one edge, applying a strip of glue along the fabric and wrapping the fabric over the edge of the mat. Secure in place with duct tape.
7. Trim the fabric “point” that extends past the edge you just glued to make a neat corner. When you glue the adjacent edge of fabric, cut the point again, but this time at an angle so the piece of fabric you trim away is the shape of a triangle. This will allow you to fold the corner so it is tidy.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with each edge of fabric.
9. Insert the fabric into the frame. You may want to cut a piece of hardboard or corrugated cardboard to secure the fabric panel in the frame, since there’s no glass and the fabric panel may be loose. To do so, cut a piece of hardboard or cardboard the same size as the fabric-wrapped mat, and insert it. Add one panel pin or small nail on the backside of each edge of the frame to keep everything in place.
Kelly Wilkinson is a craft designer and journalist. Find more of her projects at .
