Wall Crawl: An Easy Embroidered Wall Art Idea

So, I wasn’t actually going to share today’s tutorial with you guys because I started it making it last minute to add some much needed artwork to our apartment before some friends come into town this weekend. But after I started I realized, I should probably share it.

So here we are: another DIY art piece (yes, I’ve made a few), but this one only costs $9 to make and took about an hour. Not bad for a project I wasn’t going to share. Click through for the tutorial.

Budget Breakdown!

I started with a rug remnant from West Elm (one of my fave things to craft with lately) that was on sale for $4.97. In case you didn’t already know, West Elm and some other retailers that carry rugs as well, sell the little sample swatches of rugs once they’re discontinued. And they’re almost always $4.97 (at least the Wets Elm ones) – so head into a local store and get you some!

Then, I cut down a piece of wooden dowel rod I already had (cost $3) and used roughly $1 worth of twine for the rest. I also used a plastic yarn needle and scissors but I’m not going to count those items in the price since they’re pretty basic supplies. Cool?! Cool!

So now that you have the budget breakdown, here’s the official materials / tools list…

Materials

• rug remnant or small rug (any size) – mine is from West Elm
• wooden dowel rod (any thickness you like – mine is 3/4 thick)
• jute twine
• plastic yarn needle
• scissors

Instructions

Start by cutting down a dowel rod to the correct size (if needed). I measured the width of my rug remnant and then added 3 inches to that measurement (1.5 inches extra on each side for the rod to stick out from the finished piece).

Next, wrap the top portion of the rug remnant around the dowel rod. Then, using a plastic yarn needle, attach the front of the rug to the back flap that is wrapped around the dowel rod. I added 5 stitches spread out along the top, right under the dowel rod and double knotted each one to tighten and secure.

Once the rod is secure, stitch / embroider a design on the hanging part of the rug, again using the plastic yarn needle. I went with a simple triangle, but you could also stitch a message, monogram, etc, etc.

Then, add twine to the rod for hanging (and some fringe at the bottom (if desired – I just knotted it onto the bottom to fill it out and tie in the twine color throughout) and you’re all set. Pretty easy, right?

I hung the finished piece from a wood wall hook (from CB2), but you could also just as easily hang it from a nail. No special hanging required.

This idea would also work just as easily with a 2×3 or 3×5 rug instead of a remnant if you want something larger. You’d do everything the same way, though you may want to search for a dowel rod thicker in diameter if you go above 2×3.

Think you’ll give this DIY a try? What do you think of this wall hanging idea? For even more wall weavings, head here: wall art weaving ideas.

P.S. In case those hanging leather tassels look familiar, its because I shared the tutorial for them a while back (here). Getting lots of use out of those things still!

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