Nursery Art

Fabric Decoupage Wall Hangings

My fake cousin Michael recently (truth be told it was seven months ago)welcomed a baby girl. After getting the nursery colors  and theme from his sister, "Kate the Great" (6 months ago), I bought the supplies (4 months ago) and got started (3 weeks ago). Now the finished product has been sitting on my dresser, awaiting shipment (for the past two weeks). NEW GOAL: stop procrastinating (I'll get started on that next week). 

Anyways...

I made these similarly to how I made these wall hangings for my sweet Silas:

When I made these I had never used Mod Podge, so I sprayed them with a sealer to finish them. Now that I have tried Mod Podge I plan to take them down and reseal them; the finish with Mod Podge is so much cleaner and polished (We'll see when I actually get to this...hopefully before he outgrows them.)

Tutorial:

1. Decide on design and sketch...

I labeled the sketch with the colors I intended to use; quicker than coloring and helped me when making my list of fabrics to buy. 

2. Gather Supplies...

Supplies: Iron, Scissors, Fabric Glue, Embellishments (Buttons, ribbons...) Fabric  (I use fabric quarters from the quilting section, probably not the cheapest way to go, but I like the selection and that I didn't have to wait in line for cutting), Mod Podge, foam brush, canvas( I used two 8X12, stretched), iron, heavy spray starch).

3. Starch Fabric...

Starching is a must for making these wall hangings (see update below). It makes the fabric cut like paper; important for detailed shapes. This cool site has starching instructions and a recipe for a diy homemade starch. I haven't made homemade starch yet, but I intend to when the can I have runs out... could be a while, my version of ironing usually involves tossing wrinkled clothes in the dryer.

Update: Instead of Starching fabric, you can use fabric mod podge on it, and let it dry before cutting it...makes it ever stiffer than the spray starch. Here's a   great blog I found after completing this project. Oh the wonders of Mod Podge...how did I get by for so long with out it?

4. Lay and Glue Mod Podge background.

The nursery colors were sage greens, dusty pinks and chocolate browns. I created a background with three sage greens; the first is for the sky, the second for shrubs, and the third for grass in the foreground. I was unhappy with the glue line that showed through the second and third layers in these pictures, but after finishing the project and sealing with Mod Podge it was unnoticeable.

Update: Next time I will use Mod Podge to replace all gluing in this project. I LOVE that stuff.

If you are making a multi canvas piece, repeat step 4 on all canvases. Lay the  canvases next to one another to ensure that the background lines up. 

5. Cut and glue Mod Podge your design...

I used chalk to draw my design on the reverse sides of the fabric. It was unnoticeable and easy to remove if I made a mistake. 

6. Add Embellishments

I used buttons for the deer eyes and flower shaped buttons for the trees.

7. Seal with Mod Podge...

I should have used this amazing blog dedicated to the wonders of Mod Podge before completing this project. I love how my piece turned out but I could have saved myself a lot of headaches by reading through this first. 

8. Ta Da... 

This is the finished product, minus the frame. In the framed piece with the frogs pictured at the beginning of this post, I my dad had the canvases framed at Michael's. The cost was upward of $300. It looks beautiful, but is not affordable. When I frame this piece I (probably with the help of my lovely assistant husband) intend to follow this helpful video and frame them myself... we'll see how that goes... and when it actually happens.

These make great baby shower gifts. Give it a try! (or commission me to make one for you.)