I have been wanting to make one of these poster hangers for AGES but have put it off because I couldn’t find a proper tutorial that explained it well enough. Therefore, I had to do a bit of experimenting that ended up in me throwing pieces of wood across the room, yelling at Jules because he wouldn’t help me and spending all day getting it wrong only to finally find a solution at 6pm, hence the rather murky and rushed photos in this post. Ha!

Anyhoo, I have this wondrous Double Merrick print that was the colour inpsiration for my home office (see his AMAZING French home here; we visited him there a couple of years ago and I’m just waiting for my next invitation – hint, hint, Merrick). The print has been in a white frame that is a bit blah and I thought it would suit a poster hanger much more because a lot of Merrick’s prints are inspired by vintage French educational charts. So, here’s how I made it…

You will need:

– Four strips of half round moulding the length of your print (I chose oak rather than pine as it looks so much nicer)

– Hacksaw to cut the strips to length

– Sand paper

– Low tack tape (I used washi tape)

– Four small nails

– Hammer (yes, I use a Cath Kidston hammer!!)

– Twine

Step by step:

1. Cut four lengths of wood to the exact width of your print.

2. Use the sand paper to smooth the ends of the strips of oak.

3. Use low tack tape (because it won’t ruin your print) to stick the top and bottom of your print to the strips of wood. Stick the print half way up the wood strip so that when you nail the strips together you don’t have to go through the print.

4. Place the back strip on top of the front strip, sandwiching the print between them. Ask someone to help you hold it in place or use a clamp as you are going to nail it together at either end. Measure where you want the twine to hang from and this is where you will nail the two strips together – make sure you measure it accurately otherwise it won’t hang straight. You are going to nail the two strips together from the back. Place the nail fairly near the top of the wood strip so you won’t go through the print. Hammer it in so it goes completely through the back and into the front strip but not through to the front of the strip as you don’t want to be able to see it at the front. Once the two strips are secured together, bash your nail so it bends flat against the wood strip (you will hang the twine from these). Repeat this step on the other side of the print.

You will need to nail the bottom strips of wood together too, but use shorter nails that won’t need to be bent over as you won’t need to hang twine from these.

5. Tie your twine to the bent nails at the top of your print.

And hang your print! Mine isn’t going to stay on these hooks but I’m just waiting to move a chalk board that I will be selling at our vintage jumble sale and it will be replaced with my print.

Now, let me tell you about how this DIY went wrong. Firstly, I wanted to make it simpler by making the wood strips a couple of centimentres longer than the width of the print. I then bolted them together at the ends so that you could easily swap prints in and out. However, it didn’t look great because my print is only A3 size so it all looked a bit bulky. I think this would be a good solution for larger posters.

My new idea is to embed magnets in the back of one strip of wood and use self-adhesive magnetic strip on the other strip. This would make it really easy to swap posters in and out without damaging the print. Watch this space for that.

If you want to use this idea with beautiful wrapping paper, just glue it to a piece of card first to weight it and give it extra strength. Although, it’s quite important to use as little glue as possible wth wrapping paper as it wrinkles so easily – spray glue or spray mount is the best bet.

Hope this is a useful tutorial; it’s definitely much cheaper than framing prints!

Katy x

Last week’s Ask Apartment Apothecary was about blending a work space within a guest bedroom. One of the things I suggested was hanging a cafe curtain at the window. I have done exactly this in my home office as it is perfect to diffuse direct sunlight, which can be a real problem on a computer screen whilst I work. It also adds a soft, yet minimalist, touch to a work space. Most importantly, it costs very little (I used an old sheet!) and is a very, very quick sewing project.

Here’s how…

You will need:

Lightweight fabric at least 2 cm wider and taller than the part of window you want to cover.

Lightweight fabric for the curtain tabs – each one needs to be 4 x 12 cm and you will need one for every 10 cm of fabric along the top of your curtain panel.

Contrasting or matching thread, fabric scissors, pins, chalk and a tape measure

You can also add a trim to the bottom of your curtain panel if you fancy (why not try lace, pom poms, crochet) or add some pretty embroidery.

Step by step

Step 1 – Measure your window and cut a piece of fabric allowing for a 2 cm seam allowance all round the panel. Press a double hem on all four sides of the panel – fold over 1 cm, press, then fold over 1 cm again to hide the raw edge and press. Pin in place.

Step 2 – Choose either a contrasting thread or matching (I chose a soft blue to give my panel a bit of definition and it is the main colour in the room where this curtain will hang) and stitch all the way round the panel.

Step 3 – Measure the top edge of your panel and figure out how many tabs you will need, based on having one for every 10cm, or thereabouts. Mark with the chalk where the tabs will be positioned. Cut a piece of fabric for each tab measuring 4 x 12 cm. Press the edges over (about 0.5cm) and fold in half lengthways and press.

Step 4 – Sew down the open side of the tab.

Step 5 – Pin the tabs into position, laying the two ends of the tab next to each other, not on top of each other, as this will be easier to sew and it will hang better. Press the curtain.

And finally, to hang the curtain you will need a piece of dowelling and two cup hooks either side of the window frame. I still need to paint mine!

And please indulge a brief moment of floral appreciation…I cut these variegated Hygrangeas at the end of last week from a plant on my balcony and they are making me so happy. Plus, they are in a new jug that I bought at Ardingly antiques fair. It’s the small things.

Happy sewing!

Katy x

When Sarah-Lou and Heather began their The Everyday Spruce project I was immediately hooked; the name of the project basically describes my life. I spend everyday at home trying to make things more beautiful or functional. I have a mental list of everything in my home that needs improving, clarifying or beautifying. Strangely, the list never seems to get shorter or finished.

Anyhoo, I am very pleased to be joining them and contributing my idea of ways to spruce up your life (I will focus on home ideas) in one way or another. They would also love others to join in with their project so please do join in, too!

I have a really quick and easy sewing project for you today to help you spruce up your wardrobe – I don’t know about you, but me and mine are at constant odds with each other. One of the problems is I can’t justify buying a matching set of beautiful hangers so I have loads of awful wire ones that get mangled and twisted together. Is there anything more frustrating than pulling something out of your wardrobe only to find the hangers are fused together?!

These simple little coat hanger jackets really help and they look good. Double win.

You will need:

Medium weight fabric, cotton or linen work best – approx. 42 x 18 cm for each hanger. I used Kokka Crossed Leaves in Turquoise and Kokka Circle Flowers Yellow in cotton linen mix from Guthrie & Ghani.

Fabric scissors

Pencil

Pins

Step by step:

Step 1 – Place two pieces of fabric together (this will be the front and back of the jacket) and make sure the piece of fabric on top is wrong side up. Pin the fabric together. Lay your coat hanger on top and draw around it, except the hook part, as this will not be covered by the jacket.

Step 2 – Cut 1cm outside the line around the shoulders of the hanger but cut 4cm outside the bottom line of the hanger.

Step 3 – Unpin the two pieces of fabric and press a 0.5cm hem on the bottom edge of each piece. Repeat this so you can no longer see the raw edge.

Step 4 – Sew the hem as near to the bottom edge of the fabric as possible. Do this for each piece of fabric.

Step 5 – Pin the two hemmed pieces together, right sides facing.

Step 6 – Sew the two pieces together. Start from the bottom edge and sew up the shoulder of the hanger but stop in the middle and leave a 1cm hole for the hook to go through. Begin sewing again down the other shoulder to the bottom edge.

Step 7 – Press the seams open, turn the jacket inside out and press. Do not sew the bottom edge together – this will remain open.

Step 8 – Place the jacket over the top of the hanger, push the hook through the 1cm gap at the top and it should be a snug fit.

I look forward to seeing loads more sprucing tips – do join in with the project and perhaps it will help shorten my mental list of things that needs tending to at home. Share your post/tip using the hashtag #theeverydayspruce.

Katy x