Quilting saves the day!

Well, when at work one is charged with making a bulletin board and given a limited budget, what could cover more area at a lower price, but fabric... WOOOHOOO!!!!! I can share that I was not exactly sad about being asked to create a project that would be catchy and help promote our services in a sort of "old fashion" way, but that would still be nice to look at... Are you kidding me? Really? YAAAAAY! Quilting bug to the rescue!

Well, the first part was not only the fabric, but the colors. I knew I had to use the ones of the new logo... And just wait until you see them! What a fantastic combination! It was no surprise to see the finished project all catchy and popping up from the wall.

So, in my only trip to the craft store on business, I got practically the perfect match for what would become the board background... Tada!

Some patterns and two Kona solids pull the whole look together! In other words, I cannot take credit for choosing the combination; I just had that new logo in mind, which I personally think is much, much happier than the old one. 

And just because the paper aisle is next to the fabric section, I made sure to pick up some happy paper to showcase everything in the finished product. Not a sad thing to buy all these gorgeous materials on business at all! 

Oh my! I really felt like quilting right then! But heck! I decided I would use this project to explore color value and my quilty bone kept thinking that I was working on a landscape, almost like a lake and a sunset... Well, it really worked in my head! lol

I started cutting the fabric, getting strips of different widths of the accent fabric. I then sewed them next to each other, making sure I kept the color gradation equal, on each side of the cover. 

A little ironing to make it all pretty!

(lol... I really thought it was interesting to see the reflection on the back window, so I took the camera and snap! Even the iron made it to the shot!! :) )

Here is side one:

... and here is side two:

I think I like the more subtle variation with the skinny strip in between two chunky strips; I feel that the "lines" disappear... I don't know... What do you think?

Well, we made it safe and sound to the office, and here it was, waiting patiently for me to take care of the more imminent issues (lol)...

And taking a hint from previous quilting experiences, I had to keep the top from moving all around while centering the rest... Some heavy duty tape worked like a charm!

Just like with a regular quilt... Well, kind of... :)

First, place your fabric wrong side up on the floor, secure it, batting on top, board on top, right side down. Not exactly a quilt sandwich, but the right order to get everything in the right place! 

After trimming the batting, you'll have something that looks like this:

Then, use a staple gun to fix the fabric to the back of the board, starting on the center part of each side. Pull tightly, but don't overdo it; staples can fray fabric. 

Also, different fabric responds differently to staples. I worked with cotton, so I stapled at least three times as close together to the center as possible. If you were working with thicker fabric, you may only need one staple.

Here is a closer view at the first stapling:

Little by little, work your way to the sides, and fold the corners like you were wrapping a present.  Remember to trim the excess fabric when you're done.

Go on! Staple! Staple! Staple! :) 

Ta da! 

Well, after that, I got some heavy duty tape to finish the back; I also got some help with a kit and eyelets (maybe they have another nice, fancy name...) to hang it like a regular picture frame. These hanging kits are really handy; some of the original hanging hardware may be covered by the fabric, or you may only have one nail on the wall... Who knows! Just don't let a hidden hardware issue be the reason to keep you from trying something like this.

Here is how it ended up... Well, just picture each white space with information in it. 

So, here you have it! How to up-cycle an old bulletin board into an eye-catching, colorful spot! Just think, you can even make a photo board for your office! Man! I just wish I had all the time in the world to explore the unending opportunities to create.

Stay blessed!

Yiya