DIY Project: Silk Scarf Mounted on Canvas

The post about framed scarves — which featured framed Hermes scarves and less pricey but also beautiful scarves — is one of the most popular posts on this site.

The images found while assembling that post inspired me to frame a silk Talbot’s scarf that was originally purchased to hang on our living room wall. The scarf’s theme — exotic travel — adds to our living room things which are from India, Burma, Laos, Thailand, China and Italy. And High Point, North Carolina.  :)

After wearing the scarf for a few years, it was time for it to claim the space where it was meant to be. Here’s how I framed the scarf …

Materials:

• silk scarf 36″ x 36″
• 36″ x 36″ x 1″ canvas
• Matte antique gold color spray paint
• Silk pins from sewing notions
• Nail already in wall from a previous hanging

Here’s the scarf as it’s looked for a few years:

Here’s how it will look on the canvas (next step, ironing!):

Here’s one of my ever-present arts n’ crafts assistants demonstrating how big the canvas is:

Next, I sprayed gold paint only where canvas will be visible, plus the edges. It’s not necessary to paint the entire canvas so the paint can be used for another project. I had to apply several layers of spray paint for even coverage:

Then another easy step. After the paint dried, I pinned the scarf to the canvas along the edges:

It was as easy as that.

One small snafu. I thought the scarf was smaller than the 36″ x 36″ canvas, but when the creases were ironed out, the scarf became the exact same size as the canvas. You could choose a bigger canvas so there’s a “frame” of gold around the scarf. But this way you can still see the gold canvas edges.

The canvas is not the best quality. It’s slightly warped and it doesn’t have a smooth even surface, but you can’t see this once the scarf is pinned to the canvas. If you used a finer linen canvas, you could sew the scarf edges onto the canvas instead of pinning them. I suppose rather than a “framed scarf,” this is more of a “mounted scarf.” I chose this option because I like the casual appearance of unframed canvas.

Some more images. This is a scrapbook I made that is an imaginery diary that Amelia Earhart would have kept if she really did land on a Pacific island and survive there for awhile:

Below is a prayer bowl from Sikkim, brass weights from an antique shop in Tuscany (San Gimignano or Volterra? I forget now) and travel journals from a place much closer — the Barnes & Noble within walking distance of our house! I keep a written journal of memories of every trip we take:

I like all the colors and patterns, but you need to be closer to this vignette to appreciate them:

I’ve stored turquoise necklaces in the bowl:

My cats are really well-behaved. With stuff on this table, they don’t jump on it at all. There’s another table just like this one in front of a big window that I keep clear of things to give them lots of room to sit in the window, a favorite spot of theirs. This corner with this scarf is now one of my favorite spots in the house.

See this project and more DIY ideas at:

CraftOManiac | DIY Showoff | I {Heart} Nap Time | Just A Girl Show and Share Day | Making the World Cuter | Market Yourself Monday | Passionately Artistic | Weekend Warrior