Faux-Casso: Fabric Wall Hanging

After nearly a year, I have managed to finally get our apartment in somewhat presentable shape. We have all the necessities now (including wine glasses thanks to my boyfriend’s awesome mom!), a place to store just about everything – there is even a coat of paint in the kitchen! All that’s left now to tackle is the tons of blank, blank wall space left in each room.   I wanted to start with the master bedroom as there is a small wall when you first enter (it forms the edge of the closet) and its stark whiteness was beginning to annoy me.  Plus, I recently saw an episode of The Nate Berkus show where the W hotel interior design team came on and said your bedroom should feel like an oasis. I thought working on this would make a good first project for the New Year to achieve that feel.

This project is so simple it’s ridiculous. To make this, I used fabric and a spare piece of shelving I had lying around, but you can literally use just about anything for the backing: a book, a piece of cardboard, a poster board – literally anything is the size and shape you want. After the jump, what you’ll need and the how-to…

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Some kind of backing. I used a piece of wood – formerly an old shelf- and bought at Home Depot for under $10.  You can also use cardboard, a canvas, an old book, thick cardstock – whatever has the depth or length you prefer.
• Fabric of your choice
• Scissors
• Tape (I wound up using packing tape we had around the house.) Masking tape or duct tape will also do!  Scotch tape might work – but only with certain fabrics.
• A nail
• Wire, twine, string or or something somewhat strong (dependent on the weight of your hanging) to hang from the wall.  If it’s light enough, you can even use dental floss or thread.

Step 1: Lay your backing down on your fabric and cut around so that it’s just wide enough to cover the front.

Keep in mind - you don't need to wrap it all the way around - just enough to cover the front.

Step 2: Basically you want to wrap the backing like a present. Start on one side and pull the fabric tightly onto your backing.  Then, tape down into place.  Repeat on all four sides.

Ready to start wrapping.

Starting to wrap.

Getting everything pulled tight.

Step 3: Flip your wall hanging over.  Are there lumps and bumps on the edges? Flip back over and smooth down any buckles or wrinkles and tape into place. Don’t be afraid if the back looks like crap. No one will ever see it!

Look for lumps and bumps. Pull again tighter on the back in those areas.

Step 4: Take your string (I used floral wire) to form your “hook.”  Fold it in half so that it forms an upside down “U.”  Lay it down on your backing, so that the rounded part of the “U” faces up.  Tape it down very securely.  Basically, the top of the U is going to hang on your nail.  Don’t be afraid to use a ton of tape to keep it place – if the string slips and falls out – your wall hanging will fall.

The "hook" fashioned from floral wire. Tape this down good!

Step 6: Find the place on your wall that you want to hang your art.  Drive a nail into the wall just below where want the top to fall.  Hang up and that’s it! Blank walls no more.

Hello "artwork!"