Vinyl on Canvas Tutorial

I've seen these around the blogosphere lately and I thought it would be perfect for some art in my craft room.  Since we're renting all of our walls are white and I thought they could use a pop of color.

For supplies, you'll need paint

I chose these two colors.  You can do one if you choose, but I wanted the slight color variation of using two.  Brand doesn't matter.

You'll also need a paintbrush.  If you want to see brush strokes, use a standard brush.  If you want a smoother look use a foam brush.  I chose foam.

Pick out some vinyl in a color that you like along with some transfer tape.

Finally you'll need a canvas in your chosen size.  I went with an 11x14 because that was the biggest size Wal-Mart had in stock and I didn't feel like driving to a craft store.

Start with the darker color so it will show through.  You don't really have to worry about making it look good because you'll be painting over it.

As you can see, mine is not pretty.

Then paint over in your lighter coat.  I didn't wait for mine to dry.  I wanted it to mix together a little bit.

Not a huge difference in photos, but in person you can see darker and lighter patches, which is what I wanted.

Then make sure to paint your edges.  You could leave them white, but if you do that you'll want to tape them off at the start so you don't get paint on them.

I wish mine had the staples on the back instead of the sides, but that's all they had and I don't think they'll be too noticeable once it's on the wall.

Then pick your shape.  I used one from the Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge.  I bought it thinking it was just another font cartridge, but it has some beautiful shapes.  I already knew what size I needed because I'd cut it out of some extra white paper I had laying around.

Cut your shape.  Any cutting machine will work.

Then pull away all of the vinyl you don't want on your canvas leaving behind the backing piece and your image.

These pictures are sort of hard to see because I used white vinyl, but hopefully they'll help.

Then peel off the backing for your transfer tape and put the sticky side against the vinyl.  The instructions say to move your vinyl, but this cut has so many long parts that I didn't want to risk getting it all stuck together so I did it this way.  It worked just fine.

Mine came with a large popsicle stick to help the two pieces stick, but you could use a credit card or something else that is stiff enough to not bend when you apply pressure.

Rub all over your image so that it will stick to the transfer tape.  Then pull back.  If any pieces don't stick just put the tape back and rub with the stick again.  Then place it on your canvas in your chosen location and rub again.  Again, pull back gently and if any part doesn't stay on the canvas just put the tape back and rub again. 

In the end you'll end up with this

I haven't hung mine yet, but I will hopefully get it up in the next week so that I can have something pretty to look at in my craft room.

On a slightly different note, have you guessed my favorite color yet?

No-Sew Blanket Tutorial

Yesterday I dragged DH with me to Joann's because they were having some awesome sales and I wanted to get some fabric.  While we were there I picked up some fleece that was on sale and today I used it to make a no-sew blanket.  I've made these before and they were pretty popular a couple years ago.  I love the one I already have, but since DH steals it all the time I thought I'd make another.  These are really easy to make and don't involve a lot of skill so they are awesome for someone who is still learning.  I'm not sure who first came up with the idea, but if this is someone's original idea please let me know so I can give credit.

First, gather your materials.  You'll need two pieces of fleece that measure either 2 yards or 2 1/4 depending on how long you want it.  My first blanket was 2 yards, this is 2 1/4.  You could probably make it longer if you wanted, but this size works for me.

I chose a blue and a light brown that I thought would fit well with the colors in our house.

These are the tools I used.  You can substitute for other tools if you don't already have these.  I used two rulers, my self-healing mat, a rotary cutter and some scissors.  In reality, you could get away with just the scissors, but the rest of the tools made my life a little easier.

Lay out your first color of fleece on a large flat surface.  I used the floor because I don't have a table big enough for the whole thing to lay out.  Then line up the second piece of fleece on top of it.  They might be slightly different sizes, but they should be fairly close.  Smooth out both pieces.

Once smooth, I used my mat underneath both layers of fabric and used the rotary cutter and ruler to cut off the edges and make the two pieces line up perfectly.  You could also use scissors and just eyeball it.

Then use the ruler and measure every inch or so.  You'll cut a ton of 3" strips out of both fabrics.  I eventually gave up on the ruler and just made sure my cuts were close to an inch apart and about 3" long.  It's not a big deal if they aren't perfect.  You really won't be able to tell once it's done.

Make sure to cut off the corners so that the blanket can be tied together properly.

Then start tying a bunch of simple knots.  They look just like the first step in tying your shoes.  The only thing you have to worry about here is making sure that you don't miss a pair or end up leaving out a strip.

Once you've finished tying them all you're done.  You can tie them twice if you like.  It will help them stay a little bit better when you wash it, but it's an optional step. 

Then enjoy your nice warm blanket.

 This is the blue side of my finished project.  I can't wait to use it tonight.