Corrina Powell
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Corrina Powell is a graphic communication junior and Mustang News Do It Yourself (DIY) columnist.
Are you having trouble outfitting your college home? Does it often look like a prison cell that was hit by a tornado? If you are looking to bring a bit of pizzazz and personality to your walls, look no further. Your home will be spiffed up and adorned in no time with this string art tutorial. I found some leftover embroidery thread from my junior high friendship bracelet-making frenzy. You can also find yarn and embroidery thread at Michaels or Beverly’s Fabric & Crafts.
What you will need:
- Scissors
- Embroidery thread or yarn
- Scotch tape
- Original artwork or a print out
- Nails
- Hammer
The first step in this project is to decide on a word, phrase, or shape you would like displayed in your home. Once you have completed this step, you may do a quick Google image search, type something or draw it yourself. I decided to use the word “Travel,” because I have extreme wanderlust and a lot of maps hanging in my room.
Next, find a piece of wood. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I found some scrap lumber at Home Depot and had it cut into foot-long increments. There was no charge for cutting, and I ended up with 10 pieces for approximately $2. Cut out and tape your image to the wood to secure it in place and place nails around the edges of the letters, leaving approximately ½ inch between them.
Choose your favorite color of yarn or embroidery thread and begin outlining the letters. The string serves to connect the nails and makes your image come alive in a new way.
Begin by tying a knot around one nail. Make sure to wrap the string securely around each nail as you go. When the word or image is completely outlined with thread, tie a knot securely and cut the extra string. Next, tie another knot at the place you began stringing initially. Using the same wrapping motion as before, create a random, zigzag pattern throughout the shapes or letter forms. Tie off at the other end. Finally, remove the paper from beneath the nails. This should be done gingerly with scissors and extracted with tweezers, taking care not to damage the string art.
