How to Make Fabric Panels for the Living Room
Fabric panels fill several purposes in your living room. A fabric panel, in simplest form, is just a piece of cloth stretched over a hollow wood frame. These frames can be small and adorn walls as objects of art, or large enough to serve as decorative dividers within or between rooms. These easy-to-make and versatile objects add a splash of color or a touch of privacy to your living room. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric, enough yards to cover the square footage of your desired panel size
- Hammer
- Nails (1-inch)
- Wood slats for frame
- Staple gun
- Scissors or utility knife
- Saw (optional)
Instructions
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1
Saw your wood slats to match the height and width you planned for your panel. Typically, panels are rectangular, with two long vertical sides and two short horizontal ones. The panel's frame corners must be flush---either cut each corner to 45 degrees and fit them together, or put the short horizontal ends inside the vertical ends.
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2
Nail the longer pieces of wood to each end of the short pieces of wood. Do this for each panel that you would like to make. Do not nail wood pieces on top of each other; instead, join them so the wood is flush, like a picture frame.
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3
Lay the fabric on the ground or on a table, print-side down, then place your frame on top of the fabric. Leave enough fabric all around the frame to be able to wrap the fabric around the backside of the frame with at least 1 inch to spare.
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4
Pull the fabric around the frame tightly. Staple it every 5 inches or so around the inside edge of the frame, keeping your fabric smooth and stretched tight.
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5
Cut any excess fabric, with sharp scissors or a utility knife, from around the inside of the frame, leaving roughly 1 inch of overhang.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider adding small brass hinges to the backs of multiple panels to make a Japanese-style folding wall. Add a small hook to the upper part of a panel frame so you can mount the panel on a wall. Depending on the wood for your frame, you may wish to use glue instead of nails.
As beautiful as some fabrics are, some tend to rip and tear easily under pressure, so carefully staple the fabric to wood.
