Decor | No sad walls around here!

Yes, you were all thinking it. “When is Mary going to get her butt in gear and make something?” 

Okay, maybe you weren’t, but I was.

When one decorates a new apartment, decisions must be made. Sometimes walls that would have once been gloriously covered are left barren. Such is the sad story of our bedroom wall. Our living room was begging for the wedding picture that used to hang above our bed, so I decided to get creative so that said bedroom wall would have some happiness, too. I instantly thought of some pillow-type of monogram made out of this rug I bought at the Women’s Commissioners sale a couple years ago. It ripped recently, but I loved the pattern and colors so much that I didn’t want to throw it out, so I kept it for a project such as this.

It would have been ideal to print out enormous letters in my chosen font, but we don’t have a printer, let alone a large one, so I picked a typeface that I liked and eyeballed it on some heavy drawing paper. I was a bit nervous about the sleek, modern font that I chose, called LT Oksana, but using it as a reference accomplished exactly the look I was hoping for. I wanted something clean, but not boring, so that the texture, pattern, and color of the rug would be the focus.

Have you ever tried something like this? The most difficult part for me was making the letters (don’t forget a 1/4” seam allowance! The “M” was just about the end of me.), but after that, it was a fairly simple process. I also recommend making things easier on your self and sewing a zig zag stitch around the outside instead of turning the letters with the seam inside. Of course, if your monogram is made with a chunky font, turning them shouldn’t be a big deal. Fortunately for me, the visible zig zag stitch works beautifully with the whole look of my monogram.

Have you had any bursts of craftiness lately? Or maybe some really good ideas?