Frame It - Upcycle Your Old Fabrics into Wall Art

One of the things we here at OriginalStitch Towers get to notice in our frequent prowls round charity shops, is the kind of stuff that's always there.....and then we try and think of ways to use it.  From a business point of view that's sensible coz you know for sure if you have a rush of orders, or need to be able to guarantee a certain supply level to retailers, you'll have enough supply to get you by.

And one thing you always see is picture frames.
I'm right no?
Boxes crammed with 'em.  Ok, so sometimes they're really vomit-worthy plastic ones, but most are ok, and they're cheap as chips, if not cheaper, especially if you didn't get the fish or a battered sausage.
Oh, unwise thing to do so close to lunch...can you smell vinegar.....mmmmm......

Um, so, anyhoo....in the spirit of OriginalStitch and our obsession for all things upcyclable, for Amanda Dormouse Moneybag's birthday I went a-rummagin' and dug out some nice old photo frames.  Then I got back to OS Towers and waded through my stash, throwing bits of fabric willy-nilly over my shoulder.  (I do this in an ever so slightly manic way - it's a bit scary, should you wish to know, like a rabbit trying to get under a fence, or a Husband attempting to find a passport 3 minutes before he's due to fly to Las Vegas in 2010, or similar).

I was given, years ago, a great little collection of old postcards, and have been meaning to turn them into wall art ever since, so I dug it out and found 3 sewing related postcards.

All I did here, and I bet you'd be better at it than me, was to cut a piece of fabric marginally larger than the size of the frame, glue the postcard to the fabric right-side, and then insert into the frame as you would a picture.  Even better would have been to glue the fabric to some stiff card, but I didn't have any to hand, so I bodged it a bit, I'm proud to say.

Now, don't stop there, there's a million things you could do to a piece of fabric in a frame.  How about these ideas, off the top of my bonce, and therefore by no means the best....

• Sew buttons in a heart shape, or to look like cogs interlocking.
• Embroider a simple picture over the top - make it unrelated to the fabric for a quirky effect
• Use it as a collage - stitch lavender sprigs, leaves, buttons, ribbons, newspaper or magazine off-cuts onto it
• Make up quick patchwork pieces to frame - just wallop some 3 inch squares together, you'll only need a few, but it will look great
• Use two very contrasting fabrics - cut an easily identifiable shape (a foot? A bird? A sewing machine?) out of the top fabric, and stitch or glue that piece over the other piece. 

These make great presents, and they're fab for using up scrippy scraps of fabric, and random bits and bobs you've got lying around.  I like the idea of doing them in twos, or a triptych of frames, so you can built a theme into your picture. 

To be honest, I was a little peeved Amanda took her pics home.  I dropped a considerable number of hints that they would look nice in our little nook of an office here, but no.  She weren't 'avin' none of it.

Amanda's beautifully wrapped gifts.  Ahem.

Ooh, she's hard that Moneybags.