Wall Flowers

Besides stitching, there are some great ways to use fabric that don't involve laborious hours with needle(s) and thread/ yarn. These are some great techniques I saw online while decorating my first apartment.

1. Starched Wall Adornments:

Fabric: Lightweight fabric such as cotton

To spice up our bland all-white apartment kitchen, I followed directions for starching fabric rectangles to the cabinets (I sewed the edges to prevent fraying and give straight sides beforehand). They gave the room a home-y touch (click here for more step-by-step directions for fabric starching). The best part is, when you're ready to move out, the fabric just needs to be peeled off and the wall wiped down. You can even use the fabric again for something else by washing the starch off in the washing machine.

To match, I added color accents to my dining room table and chairs, including lime green Ikea placemats and some lanterns I had lying around (which I placed fish bowls that I got at a garage sale).

2. Stretched-Canvas Wall Hangings:

Fabric: Any fabric will do. I used a traditional Mexican weaving.

Instead of hanging art on your walls, why not hang fabric? This is an idea I got from Ikea, but when they sold out of their square fabric frames I found a much better solution at an art supply store. Blic Art Supply stores sell wooden stretch bars for canvas in a variety of sizes and affordable prices so you can assemble a frame that fits your fabric and room size (make sure your wooden frame is two inches smaller on each side than your fabric). From there, follow these directions to attach your fabric to the frame, then mount it on the wall like a picture.