How to Get Framed

This one morning I woke up from a dream that I was having, this dream took me back to a time when I was a child playing in my mother's cedar chest with bolts of funky 70s fabrics.  When I woke up I wondered if she still had those old fabrics from yesteryear.  I gave my mom a call later on that day and to my luck she said that she in fact still had them, I asked her if I could take them off her hands because I had something in mind for them and she was more than happy to oblige.  I know you must be wondering what this has to do with anything and I promise you that it does!


I had an idea; the dream helped to churn the creative juices and I thought why not frame some of those funky fabrics and hang them??  And that is just what I did.  Fortunately for me I had my pick of vintage fabrics to use in my art project, but you could easily take any fabric you have laying around at home.  You could also go to your local fabric shop and pick up some remnants to use in your creation or hit the thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales to see what they have in stock.  


The trick to creating a grouping of framed fabric wall hangings is to make sure that you have a unifying subject to tie the group together.  This could be in pattern, colour, texture, frame or all of the above.  In the first example (below) I was fortunate enough to have a grouping of 5 fabric designs in varying colours; the design provides cohesion and there is a unifying thread of white in each of the fabric swatches.  I decided to frame out the groupings in identical white frames from IKEA, which helps to tie the group together.  The white also forces to bring out the vibrant colour in the swatches.  I loved the grouping so much that I decided to hang them over my headboard in the master bedroom.  I chose the gallery style to hang the grouping (in a row) as opposed to a symmetrical or asymmetrical group.


Here is a photo of the first example:

What I enjoyed about this project is the time it took to put it all together.  The frames from IKEA, called Ribba, came with mats which helped to keep the untidy ends of the fabric swatches hidden from view.  The fabric was taped to the mat and secured in the frame.  All that was left was to hang them on the wall and presto!  I really love how they turned out and was inspired to think of other ways I could make a similar impression in other rooms in my house.


You could easily adapt this technique of using fabric to any frame that you have whether it's meant for the wall or for display on side table.  As I mentioned above, the key is to make sure that you provide cohesion.  I was thinking of ways to create a grouping of framed fabric swatches in an asymmetrical pattern when I came across an easy solution.  I was shopping at Urban Barn when I found just what I was looking for; Umbra has created a one-stop-shop for framed groupings, where all you have to do is fill the frame and hang the entire piece on the wall.  This is a brilliant solution because there is no measuring or thinking required.  The frame is called Muchomix and consists of 6 frames secured together to create an asymmetrical shape.  Umbra has different types of framed groupings so be sure to check out what they have in stock to suit your needs/style.


In this next example I wanted to create a grouping of different patterned fabrics unified by colour.  I decided to go with green as the colour choice for this particular example, but you could easily pick any colour that suits your taste or style.  If you are going to be using a grouping unified by colour, be sure that the colour coordinates with the room you are going to be using it in.  You want to piece to stand out but not so much that it detracts attention from everything else in the room.


Here is a photo of the second example:

In some of the fabric swatches you will notice that there are hits of blue, I wanted to be sure that not too many other colours were introduced so I was careful when selecting the swatches for this particular arrangement.  You will also note that the fabric patterns are very different from one another, and yet they all work together.  This is due to the unifying theme, in this case, colour.  A similar concept such as the one in the first example wouldn't look as good in this grouping.  The frames stand out on their own but fit together as a collection, they should be treated as individuals in this case, identical patterns would be too boring for this type of grouping.  Symmetrical or Gallery style hangings lend themselves to showing off identical patterns, but be careful not to use identical patterns in the same colour.  Here you can get away with a multitude of patterns which is quite pleasing to the eye.


The idea of framing fabrics also works well with wallpaper ends or magazine/book pages.  Here are some ideas to help inspire:

1. You could easily get some ends of stylish wallpaper and cut them down to size to fit inside of frames and hang those groupings together.  
2. Another idea is to go to your local thrift store (or old stash of books in the basement) and find covers of old soft cover novels that intrigue your eye, purchase them and use the covers as art for your frames.  
3. Old books that have plates of fruits/Vegetables/Plants/Animals are also a good method to use in a framed grouping, you can hit the local flea market or garage sales for some good deals on older books to use in this purpose.  
4. Magazines provide a good source of inspiration, simply use a sharp cutting tool such as an x-acto knife to make a clean cut and you're ready to frame.  
5. The covers of old magazines such as Vogue would make a stylish statement framed and hung in a bedroom or around a bar.  
6. There are some free online sites that provide images that you can simply download and print off in colour.  This is also another great way to create a collection to frame and hang in your home.

There are a multitude of ideas out there so don't just settle for the standard method, think outside of the box and get creative with what you frame and hang on your walls or place inside your home.  You'll see the difference a bit of creativity can make!