DIY Foldout Privacy Screen From Upcycled Canvases

 This DIY folding screen tutorial is exactly what you need if you’re looking for a classy artistic way to separate or create a focal point in your living room, or just use it to hide that pile of stuff you’ve been meaning to go through… hey, we don’t judge ?? ??!

Ever seen one of those boring old white folding office screens and thought “That would be so much better if it were pretty to look at” Well, me too…I will be walking you through with mine; it is made out of ordinary materials and wait til you see what else!

So you too can have a really dope looking piece of decor for your home that is also practical, too. Now you can make one yourself for your home or office!

I used art canvases to put this baby together…yep you heard right, canvases! After all, what better object to work with, since they are already framed and stretched?

(Disclaimer: I am not an experienced carpenter per-se; all this info comes from what I know about canvases – their strength and adaptability overall)

DIY Folding Screen Materials

At least four metal door hinges (six for a four panel screen)

Small metal braces

Screwdriver

Measuring tape

A leveler

Equal amounts of panel frames – two longer and two shorter for each panel

Fabric to be used for the frames – it should have at least 2? of overhang to wrap around and secure to the frames

The length and width of the panels is entirely up to you; just make sure that each panel will have the exact same dimensions!

How Many Panels Do You Need?

When I looked at most folding decorative screens up close, they usually have between three and five panels, which is what you should strive for. Obviously, with more panels will come more work….but also consider how wide and tall you are wanting them to be as well. 

If your goal is, like me, just to have a decorative “conversation piece” I think you can accomplish that with just three panels. If you are looking to have something closer to what they call a “room divider”, you may need four or five for the “coverage” end of things.

Choosing a Good Fabric For Your Panels

For the individual panels, you will need a good quality type of fabric with a little bit of stretch to it (but not so stretchy it runs the risk of being torn easily).

Linen and canvas by the yard are good choices for the fabric type. I think you could take something like a drop cloth and use it for this successfully. You may also want to consider a pretty pattern that strikes your fancy as well.

Making the Framework

To put together the wood framework ideally you need pieces of wood that are in the neighborhood of three-fourths of an inch thick and wide, at least, to provide enough stability. For each panel, you need to have two vertical pieces and two horizontal pieces of equal sizes.

This tutorial I ran across recently shows another maker  who had a slam-dunk design for his folding screen…Go to “Step 2” to see what a good, solid screen framework should look like!

You can attach the wood pieces via the method you’re most comfortable with, such as the use of carpenter’s glue, nails or metal brackets.  You can also leave it unfinished, or apply a wood stain. I applied a stain to the exposed sides.

I used some metal brackets which worked great at keeping the canvases from bowing out. but what really helped was the addition of some extra wood bars I found – I  nailed them down on the canvases’ frame backs.

Canvases that are like really big usually have these supplementing stretcher bars in the middle for added support so I borrowed my idea from that observation.

My cat, Sputnik, just hangin' around...Well, he was behind me, as I worked, trying to see what I was doing on the other side with the tools.

I used six canvases in all, each one measuring 22? by 28?. (it’s 56? high and 66? wide combined) It might of been a tad easier if I’d had some panoramic-sized canvases turned vertically …I’d only have needed 3 ??.

Attaching the Fabric

Attaching the fabric to the wood frames is a lot like stretching a canvas – you will need special tools; a staple gun will be a big assist here in tacking down the edges of each side securely.

Attaching the Screen Panels

I worked on the floor; you’ll need a flat surface, or use a couple of workhorses, to make sure your panels are going to be even with each other. You will be attaching door hinges from panel to panel. The hinges also need to be on the inside/back of the frames.

Using a tape measure, make a mark on one side of the frame and be sure there will be a fair amount of space between this panel and the second one next to it, so there will be adequate room for the panels to open and fold easily.

As you can see, I have about 1? of space between my panels. That’s a pretty good ballpark to strive for.

Pro Tip: You may have to hold a hinge in place with one hand and test it out by moving the panel to see how freely it will open, before committing.

Most door hinge parts  include small screws. I got the holes started with a small drill bit first.

Repeat this process with another set of door hinges further down on each panel.  One set of hinges should be near the top (about 5 or 6? give or take) and the next set can have 5-6? from the bottom; the hinges do not need to be close together.

Next, “rinse and repeat” with the next panel, and any subsequent panels. It’s going to be more of a matter of making sure you will have all the hinges in the right places and that they will easily open and close with a certain amount of slack.

(Optional) Paint Your Panels!

If you used a plain colored fabric and you want to dress it up and make it look really wowza, consider painting your panels! Since I’m giving you permission to “borrow” my idea here, now is the time to go to town with them and make them look really dope.

Go nuts – Since I love orange shades, that’s what I did with mine – I wanted them to look just like the three-panel sofa painting I used in my previous post: How To Hang a Canvas Without Nails. 

Take your time and paint something you can be proud of and will complement your home decor!

You Did It!

Congrats, you did it! A beautiful diy folding screen that you made yourself that is one of a kind. You can use it to draw attention to part of a room, a conversation piece, or heck, it would make a nice backdrop for something like your video channel if you have one.

There’s always a way to put a decorative screen like this to use…my cats as you can see here like using it as a hideaway.

DIY Lighted Canvas Art

 Today I’m going to diy lighted canvas art and bring some joy into a dreary winter day. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for awhile and now getting around to it ?? I’m also going to use one of my own paintings, and a few other materials, you can follow that route or build up your own art too!

If you love the look of lighted canvas art, you’re going to love this too – you just need some basic art supplies and some of those little midget sized “fairy lights” and you’ll be in business. I thought doing something like this might be complicated, but I found out it’s not. Just follow along with me and let’s get going!

Materials List

If you’re like me and painting is one of your favorite hobbies, you can choose one that’s ready-made, or start from scratch with a blank canvas, a size like 16 by 20 would be ideal and the painting I’m using is that size.

Some of those “fairy” lights, preferably battery operated –  – I know these are harder to find in stores before the Christmas shopping season hits so I took the liberty of picking out a suitable one.

This set I have is perfect because the lights are blunt and don’t have the pointy tip that sticks out. Look for a set like that if you can  – I think it’s labeled as “5mm”.

You’ll also need a sharp tool like an awl, that can cut precise holes, I’m using a drill with a medium sized bit . A permanent marker and possibly some tape.

Light Up Canvas Tutorial

If you’re starting from scratch with a blank canvas, now’s the time to paint it with whatever idea you’ve had in mind -whatever that may be ?? Be sure to let it dry before proceeding with the rest of this tutorial. OR if you’ve already got a canvas picture…You’re ready to go!

I chose one of my older paintings I did way back when. I was always enamored with the bucolic style of Thomas Kincade, and this one is ideal because it has a cottage in the background with illuminated windows.

Right now first step is to establish a pattern with my light string so they won’t be in a clump in one spot. Try to scatter your light string, depending on how many lights you have, so they will make a nice pattern.

I’m trying to follow the contours of the cottage lit-up windows and arrange my lights in those areas. The remaining lights will just go around the foliage in the background. When you have the right arrangement, take a pushpin and mark the spots you want the lights to go.

In addition to piercing the spots, I also drew little circles around making it easier to find them. on the back of the canvas.

Part of the problem with drilling holes is that I always try to get a “neat” look without a frayed edge. I put some tape over each hole before I started drilling. Once you have marked your spots correctly you can use your instrument of choice to make the holes.

If you use a drill, light pressure is all that is needed. Take one light and attempt to push it through the first hole to make sure it is a good fit before proceeding .

The bit size I chose is 4.36 mm. I held up one of the lights next to all the bits in their holder to take a guess at the best size bit for the job. Blow off any remaining dust…you should have strategically placed holes for each individual light now.

Now you can start inserting each of the lights through the holes. If you’ve got the right size hole, the lights will stay in place easily, you won’t need anything to secure them.

You may, however, need to secure the battery compartment somewhere – duct tape will work for that step.

You can cut a piece of cardboard to go on the back, just be sure to cut around the battery dealie so you can easily switch the lights on and off. Oh, and speaking of which, switch them on now and test them out. how do they look? Pretty right?

At first I didn’t use cardboard, but then the lights kind of had a way of popping out from time to time when I would switch it on, so I cut a piece for the back to give the lights more stability and hide them, overall. I also made a video too so you can see how all the parts come together.

Now find a good place to hang your picture – or set it up on a tabletop, your call. I had to reinsert the eye hooks and wire, I must have taken them out at an earlier time.

I find it looks the best when I switch it on in the evening – those lights really twinkle! Now you’ve got a beautiful diy lighted canvas art piece that you’ll be proud to show off. Enjoy!!

Duct Tape Wallet How-to

 Ever wanted to make a duct tape wallet? Me too...I remember when I first saw all this cool colorful patterned duct tape and wanted to make use of it as much as I could.

So once I attempted a wallet.

First cut out a thin piece of paper about 8" wide by 4" in height.

Take your tape and begin making long strips about that length (8") and attach each one to the paper piece, as you cover it, it is ok if the edges overlap a little.

Note: Just tear the tape. Don't bother cutting it...it will "gum up": the scissor blades.

To create the pockets on the inside,take a small, 3" piece of tape, adn fold it over, the edges will stick. Take another piece of tape about that length and use this one to stick to the inside. Repeat two more times to create the inner slots.

To make the insert window (for your ID, most likely) take a piece of one of those clear vinyl poly-view sheets and cut a square about 3" by 4" Use more duct tape to create a border around it, on the inside.

This is what it looks like when it is finished...

Makes a great gift, make one to give, and make one for yourself in a different color pattern!

DIY Curtain From Valance

 Watch How I DIY a Valance From a Long Curtain Drape!

(Originally published on 6/5/18)

OK, long story short....I'm not an experienced seamstress. Just someone with a goal. This goal? To repurpose a shorter valance style curtain from a long flowy drape.

Sounds doable for an ingenue right? After all it's not something that will require a pattern and extensive  labor-unfortunately it didn't go that smoothly.

I have always preferred shorter curtains...Long, flowy drapes are nice but they always seem to be too susceptible to curious kitty claws, plus gathering more dust, mites and generally, cat hair gets on them and when you're talking about white drapes with a black cat around, boy, it shows. Last week I laundered my long white drapes which kept falling down due partly to our cats' shenanigans and partly the rod at the top being persnickety.

Then I went on to replace them with a short white topper. But then...there's that little bugaboo of all that space below them. I think that is why curtain valances were invented....that midrange point on a window and below it...just makes me feel much, uh, like I have less privacy. Short curtains with valances give the win-win of a nice view at the top without having to close and tie-back long drapes, plus the privacy right where it is needed.

OK...I don't actually own any valances, just a surplus of panels. I got this idea just today. Since my panels are the same colors basically as the "shorties", I just took them and folded them in half and then after holding them up to the window to check for adjustment...folded a little bit of the top . I have those little hook thingys that I use for curtain tiebacks. I used sewing clips to secure the folded-over panel to the hooks and ta da...It's a little primitive, but it works. For now. We live in a neighborhood where you can easily get flagged for having unsightly stuff that faces the front of the house so I try to make sure I don't raise eyebrows too much:)

It's relatively mild...I live in Georgia and everyone is usually cranking out their ACs by May, but we've been having a lot of pop-up showers lately so it's stayed in the low 80s which is nice and allows for a good bit of window cracking. It makes the humidity bad but when the air is coming in it's a lot better. My cats love sitting on the windowsill to peer out at the outside world so I made sure my makeshift valance was positioned enough so they could sit there (and not easily yank it) and the air would get in freely.

My DIY Curtain Valance...A Partial Epic Fail??

So I was wanting to hem up I did here last week...this was only a makeshift "valance" Now comes the real thing. Gotta hem those babies up so they will be actual curtains, not a stopgap solution :)

Here are my long curtains that I wanted to make into short valances. I was in a quandary; because as you can see the pom-poms are lining the outer edges and bottom. I at first was okay with just one panel but realized that one side in that case, would be absent of the cute pom poms.

Which meant that I had to measure and cut in a different place...I had already measured the window from the point that the rod should go in to the windowsill.

So I cut the drapes at that point into equal lengths. That part was easy but now...

Ever heard the term "Murphy's Law" (if a thing can go wrong it will) Well what I want to know is, who is Murphy and why does he have it out for some of us? Is this Murphy some kind of gleeful sadist? Well, what went wrong over the course of this evening? Well, what didn't go wrong is more like it.

First off my cat got a hold of my bag of straight pins. Picking them up off of a rug...ugh.

I almost made some real headway, but then I got short of thread on one side and didn't know why until I discovered that the bobbin had run out of thread. I didn't know how to reload that thing until I pulled up a Youtube video. Thank goodness for that repository of how-to's for all of us when we are clueless and stumbling.

Fortunately I did manage to hem up the first panel. I wanted it to have a flanged edged too so it wouldn't look so amateurish, so I did manage to get that stitch under way. But trouble came when I started on the second panel and everything went wrong. And if all that wasn't bad enough....

My needle broke!!!

(Insert string of curse words right about now.....this would have been a good time to get out that sweary word coloring book)

This was just not. my. day. Well, not for sewing anyway....

So that's why you're only seeing this one panel as you do in this picture at the top.

Maybe I just lack the coordination for this, or maybe it is because I detest needles. Who knows? The one thing I really took to was needlepoint as a kid because I had a plastic needle that wouldn't stick me and I got to work with yarn and not skinny scrawny thread.

If you're an experienced seamstress and you're reading this right now, please get in touch :) It could be that I just don't have any guidance in this department. That may be what I need. Anything that would help me get back to finishing that other panel is about all I'd be happy with right now!

"That's Not "Sew" bad Using My Machine for the First Time in 5 Years

 Originally published: 6/24/17

Just A "Sew - Sew" Job...But Practice Makes Perfect!

My grandmother, who passed away in 2012, was a master seamstress. There was nothing she couldn't put together. I've got at least 3-4 handmade quilts that I've inherited, beauty, that. However this is not one skill I inherited. It could be that I haven't put that much thought into learning to sew, or it could be the recurring fears I have about needles. (One time growing up, I had one of those "learn needlepoint" kits for kids that came with a plastic yellow needle that was about 3" long which is why I was able to give that a chance.)

Regardless of the reason, I know it's a skill I should master; at least for the purpose of clothing alterations. It's cheaper and smarter, right? to take an article of something you're tired of and do something to make it a little different and more appealing.

Case in point, these past few weeks. Summer is here and I want to take a few long-sleeved shirts (cotton-poly blend jersey style) and make them into short-sleeve shirts. Nothing super ambitious here. I like the cute "cap" sleeve that's a little bit shorter than the standard T-shirt; but I digress a little. Time to crank out my machine which has been in the closet the past 5 years.

This sewing machine I have is only about 10 years old and in gently used condition. It is a Brother, yep, same company that made my 4-in-one-printer. When I say "gently used" I mean the last thing I worked on was a set of curtains, and I think I hemmed up the legs of some too-long pants.

This is a Brother LS-2125i which is labeled as a "beginner friendly" machine too by the way. Yeah, I haven't studied sewing machines in depth but I have seen some more modern that are actually computerized and all. I believe I neglected to tell you that my Brother was a gift I received for Christmas 2007; so this model has been around awhile.

So here I am, re-learning again, naturally. From last set-up, the bobbin has been wound and fitted into the bottom loading area (sorry, as an amateur, I know that place has a name) I don't have to fool with that part. But apparently when it went into the closet, the threading area and spool must have gotten jostled around, as I had to re-fit it in that slot again correctly; which took a few tries, and I'm embarrassed to say, I had to consult YouTube for a little direction. When I didn't know exactly where the thread should loop around, I had a few stallings.

Did I mention I hate needle threading? Yep, somewhere towards the beginning, so I won't drag that out long. Had to do a tittle self-talk there. But when I got that part squared away, happy day. My work went on like silk on glass. Except that the stitches resulting do not match what an experienced seamstress would call "a great job" But that's OK....the sleeves are hemmed as they should and if you're standing a few feet away you wouldn't notice.

Now about the machine itself? This is not a review post and because of the "gently used" thing going, I can't give a full-out appraisal right now. Heck, there's probably some anatomy I'm not sure I can identify yet. One thing I do notice that I have to be careful of is to tempo the foot pedal as it tends to get away from me quickly unless I go very lightly with my foot. But do I want to keep on using this machine as needed to do things like I stated in the second paragraph? You betcha.

So if you gained one thing of importance from reading this post, it is that I will certainly tell you upfront what I have yet to master. This technique is like anything else out there; practice makes perfect!