Crafting: October 2010 Archives

Boundless Burlap

This inspiration for this article came from a neighbor who asked me to repair a cushion made of chartreuse burlap. They were gorgeous and unexpected. It made me look at burlap in a different way. I sat down that night and googled some burlap projects, home dec and anything I could think of. The internet is full of unbelievable and awesome burlap projects and I could not wait to try my hand with it.

One of my favorite items I found out in the blog world were burlap pillows. You would think they would be scratchy but once washed burlap is comfortable and durable (really good for us moms). Many of the cutest pillows out there that I covet were made to resemble vintage posters or famous quotations and then printed on to t-shirt transfer and ironed on. I made mine from one of my favorite quotations by the famous Pompey Magnus who served with and fought against Julius Caesar. I worked it up with Photoshop in a deep purple, but you can use Window Word as well. It was a fast and immensely satisfying project. Even my husband likes the pillow.

My second project I wanted to be a little more original. I love burlap for Fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving decorating. The woven texture, frayed edges and natural colors are perfect for tablescapes, chairs, and wall décor. My banner is cut with pinking shears to prevent too much fraying but I didn't hem so that I could have some fraying, just enough. I used my Cricut to cut the letters, the crow and haunted branch from some quilting cotton. It is important when you use the Cricut to cut a piece of fabric to fit your mat and then apply Heat n Bond to the back of the fabric. Make sure you have applied it well to the whole of your fabric- especially the edges. Then peel off the paper backing and apply your fabric to the cutting mat. Press it evenly to make sure there is contact all over. Your cuts will be as smooth as paper. Then you can just peel and iron onto your banner. I free handed the bat, evil eyes and ghost. Next, sew some bands to the ends of the banner to hang around your house. I have another "Happy Halloween" planned to hang from the porch columns and a "Turn back NOW" for the other window. You can experiment with other Cricut cartridges, but I used the Plantin SchoolBook font cartridge and Serene graphic cartridge. If your banner will hang in bright sunlight I recommend using outdoor fabric instead of quilting cotton. You can also use your Cricut to decorate table runners, table cloths, pillows, placemats, curtains, lamp shades, wall decors, etc. Just check out this Google search for more ideas! I am so in love!