project

I had a big empty wall in my kitchen that needed some life, but I also wanted to make it a useful space, near the door we use several times a day. I wanted a bulletin-board function without the need for tacks or pins (bad news with a toddler in the house). I reviewed different instructions from the web and from friends and came up with this. I'm really happy with it, and so proud of myself for completing it without any major mistakes or re-dos! This one is about 36 inches x 30 inches, and used one yard of fabric almost perfectly!

To make this:

1/2 inch thick plywood cut to your desired size

1 yard of batting (medium thickness)

1 yard of your chosen fabric (enough to cover board with 4 inch allowance all around)

1 yard of felt (for the back)

coordinating ribbon

upholstery tacks

staple gun

1. Lay your plywood on a flat work surface and place your batting on top. Trim batting so it is equal in dimensions to your plywood.
2. Carefully position your fabric over the batting and plywood and fold the 4 inch allowance over the edge and staple to the back of the plywood. Repeat stapling along one edge at a time, pulling the fabric taught as you go. (Remember that you'll need to hammer tacks through the fabric and plywood to give it a "quilted" or "tufted" look, so don't pull TOO taught).
3. Once all four edges are stapled down, decide where you want your ribbon to criss-cross and staple each end of ribbon to the back of the board. Then, position your upholstery tacks at the criss-cross points of the ribbon and hammer away! Ribbon should be pulled taught so it isn't loose, but not so tight that you can't hammer the tacks in. When you are done, you should be able to slide one finger snuggly under the ribbon.
4. Finish the board by stapling felt to the back for a finished look, and attach your prefferred hanging hardware. If I can do this, anyone can do this!