Friday, February 25, 2011

Iron on Fabric Wall Art...WAY cuter than Vinyl.

So...my hubby and I are both recent college grads, and we're saving up for a home of our own (well, as much saving as you can do with 2 kids in diapers)...Renting really puts a damper on what you can and can't do as far as home decor is concerned. Vinyl is amazing, clean, and crisp looking, and adds a lot of character to a room. And as a renter (and a re-modelholic) I love that it's removable. But, vinyl really doesn't have a huge variety of fun patterns...just a TON of plain colors. So I tried something kinda crazy. I ironed fabric to my walls.

Now stay with me here....Since I made both my kids bedding, I had fabric that coordinated perfectly, I figured out how to get my cricut to cut fabric, and I've become a tad obsessed with heat'n bond. These three combined had me standing on my son's bed with an iron in my hand, and Mr. Whitney walking by giving me  the "she's finally cracked" look... And, get this...it's totally 1. cheap 2. removable 3. doesn't damage the walls...three perfect reasons to iron fabric to your walls too!


The colored butterflies are the wall ones...you can make the mobile here
I know! What a strange yet fun idea! Here's a few tips should you choose to iron on your walls too!

-The backing you'll want is heat'n'bond LITE
-Iron the heat n' bond to the back of your fabric, and leaving the paper on
-Either trace the image you want and cut it out on the fabric, or use a paper cutting machine
-Turn the Iron down to the LOWEST possible setting....and turn off the steam when putting it up on the wall
-Use pushpins to keep the fabric on the wall first, and as it starts to stick to the wall, remove the pins.
-Thin cottons work best...I used leftover flannel from my son's quilt on his wall, it doesn't stick as well
-If using the cricut to cut fabric, Iron the heat n' bond on first, and lay it fabric side down, then use masking tape to tape around the edges to secure it. And prepare for it to kill your blade....make sure you have another one on hand. Also use a mirror image since it's cutting it face down.
-I also wouldn't use it in a high humidity room (like a bathroom).
-Also only use if you have high quality paint that can be wiped (not an eggshell or matte finish)

There you have it....my applications are pretty basic. But I think the idea has a lot of fun applications. Um, holiday decor, room decor....I'm thinking some cool sign with burlap letters for texture...Happy Ironing! Hey, it's WAY more fun than regular ironing...

I'm linking up here-

10 comments:

  1. I love it! I am going to give this a try.

    I love your blog! You are so talented!! I'm your newest follower. :)

    sweetpeaandpumkins.blogspot.com

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  2. very cute. I tried cutting fabric with my cricut once and it was an epic fail. thanks for the tips!

    megan
    craftycpa.blogspot.com

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  3. I love it! We live in a dorm (I'm a hall director while finishing up Grad school) so we can't put holes in our walls (yay sticky tack and vinyl)...this just might work! :) I'm also seen where you can use spray adhesive on fabric to make it stay (but I haven't tried it yet!)

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    1. You can use liquid starch to put fabric on walls. Dilute it using about 1/3 amount of water called for, soak your fabric, squeeze out excess liquid, put on wall, wipe excess that drips and let dry. When you want to change it up, just get it wet and take it off.

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  4. Okay, I'm late posting this, but how did you get your cricut to cut fabric? I still can't figure it out

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  5. Andrea, so you just iron on the heat'n bond, then place it fabric side down on your sticky mat. Make sure to use a new mat and a new blade...cutting the fabric dulls the blade super fast...and pretty much ruins the sticky mat. But, it's sometimes worth it! Best of luck!

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  6. How do you get it back off the walls? I live in a dorm, and NEED some color and fun in here. If this would easily come off, sign me up.

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  7. Why cant u use it on an eggshell paint?

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  8. Are your walls begging you for some attention? Is your wallet a little on the empty side? All of these ideas are simple, inexpensive and will make your walls shine! You will love all of your walls; you won't know where to look first.

    Bathroom Vinyl Wall Art

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  9. I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good. This is a great article thanks for sharing this informative information

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