Notice boards

By Spotlight

'get creative' reader project by Megan Boulter of Kirwan in QLD.

Final Result

Materials

• piece of wood in the desired size
• fabric to cover board plus at least 20cm border
• 5mm elastic - approx 4 x length of board
• tacks - coloured top, gold or to suit fabric
• wadding (thick/thin) - same size as board plus a 10-15cm border
• spray adhesive
• pencil & ruler
• hammer
• scissors & pins

Step 1

Decide how far apart you want the elastic to be. Use the ruler and pencil to draw lines crisscrossing on the board. When it is the way you prefer cut the elastic into the right lengths by placing the elastic on each line and gently pulling as it needs to be taut to hold things on the board. Don’t forget to allow extra to attach to the back of the board.

Step 2

Cut the wadding and fabric to size. Spray the wadding using the spray adhesive and glue to the centre of the fabric leaving 5-10cm of fabric as a border. To attach the wadding and material to the board, spray the board and glue to the centre of the wadding leaving a border of wadding and fabric.

Step 3

With the board fabric side down spray the borders of fabric (one side at a time) and glue to the back of the board. Pull gently so that the edge of the notice board looks neat, straight and sharp when finished. It is the same principle as covering books with contact. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

Step 4

With the board fabric side up place the elastic in the chosen pattern. Pin the edges to board, turn the board over and attach the elastic to the back using some of the tacks. To prevent the fabric tearing when pulling the elastic remove the pins from the piece of elastic being attached. When all pieces of elastic are attached, turn to the front and insert a tack where the elastics cross each other.

Step 5

Decorate as desired. Fix the notice board to the wall or hang using the method that suits best.

Handy Hint

Wood must be thick enough so tacks won’t go through to the other side but not too heavy as it needs to hang.

Handy Hint

Use small nails instead of tacks and glue buttons on top to decorate them.