Have your curtains seen better days? Or are you simply ready for a change? It can still feel like a waste to throw out so much fabric, so why not try transforming an old pair of curtains into a beautiful, stylish and practical bulletin board for your office, your child's bedroom or your kitchen?
You can use this easy DIY bulletin board to post reminders and display pictures. Not only is it versatile, but it also adds a touch of class to an otherwise boring household item. What's more, you can show off your own creativity in the fringe you choose to adorn it with and your thrifty attitude in the way you reuse your old and likely expensive curtains.
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Materials
- Foam core board
- Two cork sheets with adhesive backs
- Cutting mat
- Sharpie
- 45 mm rotary cutter
- Old curtain
- Scissors
- Fringe trim
- Fabric adhesive
- Needle
- Thread
- Hot glue gun
- Popsicle sticks
- Foam core board
- Two cork sheets with adhesive backs
- Cutting mat
- Sharpie
- 45 mm rotary cutter
- Old curtain
- Scissors
- Fringe trim
- Fabric adhesive
- Needle
- Thread
- Hot glue gun
- Popsicle sticks
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Lay out the cutting mat on a clean, dry surface. Place the foam core board on it, then lay two rectangular cork sheets side by side on top of the foam core board. Use the Sharpie to draw around them. Use the top two sides of the board to line the cork sheets up against, so you only need to trace two sides. Cut off the excess foam board pieces with the cutter.
1. Lay out the cutting mat on a clean, dry surface. Place the foam core board on it, then lay two rectangular cork sheets side by side on top of the foam core board. Use the Sharpie to draw around them. Use the top two sides of the board to line the cork sheets up against, so you only need to trace two sides. Cut off the excess foam board pieces with the cutter.
2. Place the curtain on top of the board with the pattern side facing up. Cover all of the foam board with the curtain, and leave excess material on all sides.
Tip: Wash the curtain first. Often, curtains get covered in pet dander, dirt and other debris, which can make them look old and dingy. Once you wash them, you might be surprised at how much better they look.
3. Cut a small slit in the side of the curtain with the rotary cutter to make the fabric easier to cut. Use scissors to cut around the foam board, and leave a few inches of excess fabric on all sides.
4. Place the cork sheets down on top of the foam board. Remove the backs of the sheets, and use the adhesive side to stick them to the foam board. Set aside.
5. Place the curtain fabric you cut out earlier down on your workspace, and lay out a piece of fringe trim across the fabric until it reaches from one side to the other. Lay it down about an inch beneath the middle of the fabric piece. Cut it to the proper length, and use fabric adhesive to glue the edge of the trim to the edge of the fabric. Place another dot of fabric glue about four inches from the edge, affixing the fringe here. Do so all the way down the fabric, and glue down the edge of the fringe on the other edge of the fabric as well.
Tip: Don't glue the fringe down fully, as the small gaps where you didn't glue the fringe down will allow you to to slip a photo or to-do list inside the fringe and hold these items up.
6. Use a needle and thread to sew down the fringe in the areas where you placed the glue. Tie off the thread in the back, and cut off the excess thread with scissors.
7. Retrieve the foam board, and place the fabric on top of it. Pull back the right-hand side of the fabric, and place the same fabric glue along the top, side and bottom edges of the right side of the foam board with the cork sheets. Use a Popsicle stick to smooth down the glue, then place the fabric on top of it, affixing the fabric to the board.
8. Repeat step 7 on the other side of the board.
9. Cut a diagonal slit in all the corners of the fabric. Then use your hot glue gun to glue the fabric to the back of the board, gluing one side down and cutting off the excess fabric with your scissors. Take your time gluing each side down and cutting off the fabric at the edge of each corner.
Tip: If there's a lot of fabric left after you've glued it down, cut off the excess as well, so the glue is holding down most of the fabric. This will make it easier to hang the board. Also, don't forget to cut off any fringe hanging on the back of the board, so the board will sit straight when hung.
10. Hang your new bulletin board on the wall, and add pictures and notes by placing them in the pockets of the fringe. You can also hang things on the board using pushpins.
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