String Art Part 2

Hello everyone, I'm back!
Its been a busy last few years and I finally found some free time before heading off to school in a few weeks. I wanted something to remind me of home while I'm away. What better than the state itself?

Supplies:
- 12"x12" canvas (I left mine unpainted)
- gold brads or paper fasteners
- thin yarn or rope

Print out the outline of the shape you want, I overlayed a line drawing of Michigan with Michigan on a map to get the proportion right.

Trace the image onto the canvas. I drew around the hearts on the paper, and then rubbed it onto the canvas. I found that was easier than trying to eyeball it or cut the hearts out.

Push the brads through the canvas along the traced outline. Fold the prongs out so they don't move, it will make wrapping the yarn much easier.

Pick a brad and make it the starting point. Knot the string around it and either tuck the tail under the brad or cut it right against the knot.

Wrap the string around the brads in a random pattern. After I had filled in the shape, I went around and wrapped around the outer edge of the state and the hearts, just to make it a little more finished.

Tie the string off at one of the brads the same way it was started and that's it! I've left mine propped up on our piano, but I'm going to hang it up with a command hook once I get to school. Happy crafting!

Check out String Art part 1 here!

DIY String Art

I've been helping a friend make gifts and one of them was string artwork. It's great for people off at college to remember their home town or couples in need of a Valentine's Day gift.

Supplies:
- canvas (pre-painted)
- 11/16 in. linoleum nails
- string
- hot glue and hot glue gun
- tape

Print out the image you want to use and center it on your canvas with tape. My friend wanted a heart around a city so we drew that onto the image before hand.

Go around the edge of the image with the nails, making sure they are evenly spaced apart and pushed into the canvas the same amount. Make sure to do any shapes on the inside (like the heart around the city) during this step as well.

Flip the canvas over and hot glue around the base of each nail so they won't move. (Don't worry, hot glue sticks to canvas!)

Pick a nail to start on and tie the end of the string around it, then wrap away. I wrapped mine in straight lines, but doing it randomly works too.

Keep going until you hit the beginning point, and then you're done. Enjoy your handmade artwork :)