Thread and Nail Art

Here is my absolute first Do It Yourself tutorial. How exciting! 

FIRST: Find some wood you think would fit your name. In my case I found the unused drawer divider from my ikea kitchen cabinet. Luckily I have a shortish last name, which fit perfectly.

SECOND: Stain or paint the wood the colour of your choice. I painted mine with diluted grey acrylic.

THIRD: Print out the letters in a font of your choice, and tape them to your plaque. I made an illustrator file the exact dimensions of my plaque so that the letters would print out the perfect size. Us a ruler when taping the letters, to ensure that they are placed properly.

FOURTH: Measure and draw dots where the nails will go. This helps prevent the creation of awkward gaps.

FIFTH: Start hammering in your nails.

SIXTH: Rip off the paper, and remove bits of left behind paper. You might want to use pliers to remove a few nails to get rid of some stubborn pieces of paper. Just hammer them back in afterwards. Also try to ensure that all the nails are the same hight.

SEVENTH: Choose your first letter, then create a slip knot and place around a nail. Wrap thread around each outer nail, then criss cross until you have an even density. Finish off at the nail you began with by tying a knot with both the ends. Trim thread, and kind of tuck the knot in so it's not as visible. It's okay if it is, it won't be noticed once your finish product is on display.

EIGHTH: Repeat the seventh step for all other letters, ensuring that you match the density of the first one you created.

Wallah! You have finished a beautiful name plaque.

  

Here is a wordless tutorial for you visual learners.