Friday, September 7, 2012

Jordan's Worldview in Two Frames or Less: T-Shirt Canvas

About a year ago, Jordan and I were wandering through a thrift store.  If you haven't yet put two and two together, we go thrifting a lot.  That is, I frequently request that we visit "a thrift store or two" and Jordan obliges me by spending the next several hours standing around, mindlessly flipping through t-shirts that will never fit, while I scour the shelves.  

On this particular thrift store adventure, Jordan approached me with a t-shirt in his hand, a gleam in his eye, and a brilliant smile on his face.  Why?  Because he had unearthed this gem...



For a hockey-loving-Jesus-follower like Jordan, this shirt was just too perfect.  Kitschy?  Maybe.  Awesome?  Yes.  Four sizes too large?  Definitely.  

We bought it anyway.  

What to do with the beloved oversized t-shirt?  Why not make art?

I decided to buy a canvas to display the t-shirt's design.  Both the shirt and the canvas sat in my dresser drawer for a year, but when we moved, they came to my attention and I finally decided to take ten minutes to do the project.

If you ever encounter a t-shirt that you can't wear, but cannot leave on the shelf, or, if you have a t-shirt that has seen better days, but you cannot throw away, here is a super easy project for you.  Wouldn't this be so fun to do with a t-shirt your child outgrows?  I've also seen photos of canvases covered with pretty fabric on Pinterest and they are lovely.

You'll need:

A t-shirt or fabric
Scissors
Staple gun (this is preferable.  I actually just used a standard stapler.)
Canvas 

This is so easy, I'm not sure anyone needs directions, but just in case...

Position the canvas over the portion of the fabric you want to preserve.  Cut this portion of the fabric, leaving enough on all sides to fold over the edges of the canvas.

Staple along the edges, using as many staples as you need to ensure that the fabric is secure.  Fold the fabric around the corners to create neat lines, and staple the corner fabric together.


When you have finished, trim the fabric as needed.


BAM.  You're done!


Obviously, mine is not perfect.  I stretched the fabric a bit and distorted the letters a bit.  Ah, well.

I hung this in our study along with one of Jordan's birthday presents, a spray painted Bobby Clarke image by an artist in Philly.  




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