Once upon a time, almost two years ago {before the world ended, to be precise} we shared this fun frame. We thought it was worth a reboot, here. The how to and little backstory is below – happy crafting!
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We’re thrilled to be here today to share a little bit on how to make an acrylic woven frame!
We were invited to the fabulous San Francisco a little over a week ago, to visit and speak/teach a class at Pinterest headquarters.
Clearly, we geeked out a bit.
It was a big honor and we loved seeing some of the moving parts behind such a great company.
It was a chance to meet some of the brilliance that resides there, and gather with other makers and influencers.
Neon lights and penny tile, for the win.
It was a great education on the process, and we loved seeing a little of those behind the scenes things.
And afterwards, we loved being able to see a little of the awesome city, since Jamin and I have never been before. Every time we visit California, we fall in love with a different part.
We were able to see a few of the quintessential things that makes San Fran so awesome.
Alcatraz – who knew it could be so pretty?!
Chinatown – one of my faves
Baker’s Beach -side note – we had no idea clothing is optional on a fifty degree cloudy day – especially to the guy doing yoga… in downward dog.
Sausalito and some of the best Italian I’ve had in a long time – Poggio
The Redwoods – because when you see a gigantic tree you can climb into, you do it.
the crooked little street {Lombard}
And more. So, needless to say, when we got back, we were tired, but in that we-had-an-awesome-time kinda way.
But back to Pinterest. When you’re asked to teach something AT PINTEREST, there’s a little bit of pressure to do it right. I mean, we weren’t feeling it from them of course, they were nothing but amazing. But we wanted to make sure we presented something really fun and fabulous and easy and original and…
We had a blast. So we decided to share how to make a frame from one of our books.
This was the first ever frame that I made, for our first apartment, before we were even married, so it has a little bit of a sentimental background for us. I was in design school {at Auburn- War Eagle}, and a friend actually went dumpster diving and had some extra acrylic on hand. I decided to create something from it as a project, and it ended up being the first real piece for our new living space in newlywed bliss.
After that, years later, I decided to share the how to in our book, Handmade Walls. We never shared the how to here, until now. So teaching this at Pinterest nearly two decades later, was a little bit of a full circle moment. Who knew that many years ago that this is where we’d be? Pinterest didn’t even exist yet, and I had no idea that I liked interiors so much, for starters.
It’s a great, versatile piece, because you can really do just about any size and version you wish. From photo displays to children’s art, the frame itself is so one of a kind, depending on the scale can be absolutely amazing. In our book, we describe it like this:
Like the vintage sewing cards we all loved as children, these are pretty little jewels for your own unique creations.
And I’m thrilled to tell you how we made it.
Here’s a short snippet from our book. As you can see, we had names for the elements in our books, and we originally named this one Harry. For description purposes, we’re calling it an acrylic woven frame today.
What you’ll need:
• Plexiglas – {acrylic sheets} 2 contrasting sizes, with at least one inch border on the outside piece. The size difference is up to you. Remember to allow a little bit of a border on the inside too, so that it can hold your art adequately.
• Pen + Ruler
• Drill + Drill Bits
• Jute
We also loved pulling the great art from our books for the awesome people at Pinterest to use in their new frames. So make sure you have your art/photography/whatever on hand, and that the acrylic sizes you choose, will fit.
Before we begin, here’s a little illustration so you can see how we made it:
We used a 20 x 20 piece as an example- what we love about this is how versatile it is.
Deciding which art you wish to display is probably a great place to begin with this frame. You can have your acrylic cut to size at your local glass store for much cheaper than your big box hardware stores.
You’re going to line it up with your second piece. Again, it will be a little larger so that you have space to weave your jute in and out of the holes.
Your secondary piece can be any size. Just make sure it’s smaller than the original piece and larger than the piece you wish to hold in the frame.
In the larger version, the one in the photo over the sofa, you can see our difference in size created a 5-inch border for a dramatic effect. In the smaller frames for the children’s art, the difference was a one inch border.
Cut pieces of acrylic/plexiglas usually come with a protective coating until they’re ready for use. Using this to your advantage, on the smaller plexiglas piece, measure 1/4-1/2 of an inch inward. Place your holes one inch apart and mark each hole on your smaller piece.
Holding your acrylic steady, choose a drill bit that is roughly the same thickness as your jute. Drill out each hole.
When you’ve finished with your top piece, center it over the larger piece of acrylic. Mark each hole so that the two pieces line up.
Helpful hint: Be careful not to flip one of your pieces, but set them aside carefully, so that lining them up later isn’t an issue.
Remove the smaller piece, and drill the same holes in the larger bottom piece.
Once your holes are drilled, remove the protective paper from both sides of your acrylic. Carefully place your artwork on top of the larger piece that will serve as your backing. We recommend securing it with a piece of tape.
Place the smaller piece over your artwork and larger piece. Line up the holes and begin weaving them together.
We recommend using a very long piece of jute. If you run out, simply ‘fake it’ by finishing out as much as you can, running it past the hole and bringing it behind the artwork to tape it in place. Begin your next piece of jute from the exact same spot and pick up where you left off. This gives the illusion of one large, continuous piece of jute.
And that’s how you make an acrylic woven frame!
A few tips and tricks to remember:
We hope you’ve enjoyed our acrylic woven frame tutorial.
We love how something so simple can make a great impact! It’s like a piece of art, for your art.
If you make one, we’d love to see. Have an inspired day!
Jenna says
This is the coolest! It looks like your trip was so much fun, and I can’t wait to check out how to do this frame. I love this idea.
Layla K says
Um so I don’t think it realized you guys have done a book. How great! These frames are so different. I’m making one this weekend!