I made this piece of fabric using indigo. It would be beautiful framed and on a large wall.
Hi Katy! I really love your style and was hoping you could give me some design advice… I have a HUGE wall in my living room behind our couch that is begging for some kind of art. I’ve looked into wall tapestries and blanket to cover the space but haven’t found anything that’s quite my style (it’s all pretty modern). Any thoughts or recommendations? I am open to a DIY project!!! Thank you 🙂
I received this reader question through my contact page. I decided to share because I know a lot of us struggle with how to fill a big wall. A big wall is BIG. You could build a gallery wall of frames or one big piece of art. Below are five ideas I sent to CG (reader).
- FRAME A BIG PIECE OF FABRIC
I love St.Frank. Their large framed textiles are to-die-for. The large scale pieces are one of kind. Because of the unique quality you are going to pay $$$. Sourcing large textiles and framing is expensive so the price is reflective of those costs. BUT you can source textiles and frame yourself too. I would suggest a deep dive on Etsy. Anything can be framed, a small scrap of fabric, tablecloth, coverlet. Look for pieces that have depth and layers of color. Try searching the terms: Suzani, Block Print Fabric, or Otomi Fabric.
After you find the piece you need to get it framed. Online framing shops like Framebridge. The note on their website:
We can certainly frame textiles such as scarves, handkerchiefs, knitted hats, embroidered art like Otemi, shirts, baby clothes, or really any cloth piece (as long as the item can be folded or lie fairly flat, we need the depth to be 0.5″ or less). For items like this, we’ll need to use a special technique called a sew float, which is an additional $25. Sew Floating means we will gently pin the textile on top of a mat using nylon fasteners. We’ll also iron or steam your textile free of charge when it arrives for a crisp clean look if applicable.
-FrameBRIDGE
#2 Potato Print a Large Piece of Fabric
I love the idea of creating your own art work. This potato stamp textile made by Rebecca Atwood for interior designer Emily Henderson. The variation of blues really elevates the piece. I think if it was all one color stamp it would not have the same impact.
Learn how to make one on Rebecca Atwood’s website. She walks you through all the steps: rebeccaatwood.com.
#3 Enlarge a Landscape Photo From a Favorite Place
Take a photo of favorite place and have enlarged. I have a really cool photo I took of seagrass that looks like a lion’s mane that I have wanted to enlarge for years.
Websites like Framebridge make this super easy. You can easily upload via your phone and they will tell you how large you can print the photo so it retains it’s quality. When thinking of a photo brainstorm texture, or a photo that recedes into the distance (which creates depth in the room) or a photo you snapped that feels like a painting. You will treasure this photo for the rest of your life and well worth the cost.
#4 Make a Gallery of Cyanotype prints
Make a gallery of cyanotype prints and arrange in a grid on your wall. The bright blue color is gorgeous and arranged in a group you can create a beautiful composition of color and texture. I included an informative youtube video I found above explaining the process so you can make any size you want. I like the versions where the paint is laid on painterly and not quite touching every edge. You can also buy Sunprint kits at a local art store on or online.
I hope that helps and gets your creative juices flowing. I could probably list about 800 more ideas but this should help to get everyone started to thinking about how to fill a large wall. xoxo
Katy Elliott 