Project: Framed Letter

I had originally planned for this project to be a decoration, however, when it turned out so big (and cute, I might add), I decided to keep it and give it to her at the church shower as a gift instead.  She has a thing for initials, so I came up with this:

I didn't have a picture or a plan to follow.  Instead, I had what I wanted in my mind and I went from there.  This is normally a recipe for disaster (and it nearly was a few times), but I'm pleased with the way it turned out!

Materials:

• Shadow Box Frame - Hobby Lobby, $29.99, marked 50% off = $15.00
• 3/8ths of a yard of Burlap -  Hobby Lobby, $1.50
• 1 yard Printed Fabric - JoAnn's, $3.99, but I only used about a square foot of it for this project - the rest will be used on other projects for the shower, so really about $1.00
• Wooden "E" - Hobby Lobby, $1.99

So the total for this project  - $19.50

Step 1: Backing
I cut the burlap into two squares - one fitted exactly to the back of the shadow box, and the other slightly larger so I could fold it around the sides.  I did two layers to help cover the black velvet backing.  I used pins to secure the fitted square and hot glue to secure the overlap square.

Step 2: Letter

This part was quite tricky.  I used regular scissors instead of shears (I don't know where they are and decided it wasn't worth it to look for them), so cutting the material was kind of torturous.  I tried to cut with a centimeter or so on both sides, and then I hot-glued the overlapping material to the back. I had to be particularly careful with the corners, as they tended either get frayed with stray strings if I cut the material too close or bunched up if I left it too long.

This was the longest and most tedious step, by far.

Step 3: Putting It Together

I centered the E on the burlap and used hot glue to secure it into place, taking care to place it in the same direction as the hooks on the back so it would be displayed right-side-up.  Once that was done and I was satisfied that it wasn't going to simply fall off, I pressed it into the frame.

As you can see, I had to trim some of the burlap back so that the little hooks on the back would reach the frame to keep it in place without being held back by the burlap.

And viola!

Take Aways:

• This was a fun project.  It would be fun to do the baby's whole name, but it would be time consuming and expensive.
• I really like this material.  It's girly, but sophisticated.  It doesn't scream baby, or even little girl.
• I love love LOVE the burlap and I never would have thought of it if it hadn't been for Caroline! Thanks for the tip! :)