Chicken Scraps Wall Art Tutorial

~ This project is fun and easy. Most of you probably have the supplies laying around your home. It is a great way to add a custom art piece to a room or a sweet personal gift for spring. I first made this project two Christmases ago as a gift for a lovely cook( Cinda) who has a vintage themed red kitchen. I had been meaning to make some more and to write up a the tutorial, but what is it they say about good intentions? any-who... the need has arisen to give another lovely vintage collecting lady ( I should say THE vintage collecting lady) a gift . She happen to mention how much she loved the chic in the aforementioned kitchen, so now I had my chance.... And it is spring... and it is Easter ...and I love baby chics!



materials
chic pattern
fabric scraps
4"x6"picture frame with smooth surface
modgepodge
brush
fusible interface
heat and bond lite
scissors
marking tool
ruler
one button
sewing machine(optional)
needle
thread

Instructions

1. cut frame fabric. cut for strips of fabric to cover your frame. Mine measured 2@2"x8"
and 2@2"x6" to cover a frame that's surface is 1 1/4" X5/8" deep. ...I have stash of clearance sale frames I keep for quick gifts.

I think the best way to find out the measurement for your frame is to lie the fabric on the frame and cut a little longer than the depth but cut exactly the width. The 4 corners will overlap on the flat part of the frame. but will not over lap on the sides; making it easier to fold over neatly.
2. Attach the fabric to your frame.I like to use a big Ol' bowl when I am using modgepodge. I pour a little in the bowl then coat the strips using a brush in the bowl.I applied my fabric on the longest sides first, then the shorter ones.I did it like that to match up the strips in the ticking fabric. I made sure to try and keep any excess on one side so it would trim easily. I trimmed while it was still wet ...very carefully WITH CRAFT SCISSORS!! that I immediately washedSet the frames aside to dry, you might prop them as I did on little rocks.

3. Print the chic pattern . Just click and drag it to your desktop and print image to "scale". This chic fits nicely into a 4x6 frame. If your using a bigger or smaller frame adjust your chic accordingly.

4.Make your fabric chics. For the red chic I used a damaged vintage quilt square. For the other I made a small patchwork and cut my chic from it. You could also cut a chic from a single scrap of fabric and make this a no-sew project.
a. To make your own patchwork simply cut 4 , 2" x3" squares of fabric that are eye pleasing in combination. Stitch them together to make one 4"x6" rectangle and press.
b. Next for whichever method you are getting your chic; attach fusible interface, then heat and bond to the back side.
c.Arrange and trace your chic. Make sure your chic is on your fabric so that you get the look you want.I suggest if you are using the a patchwork fabric , to make sure the legs are not on a seam, this just make for neater chicken legs!trace the chic on the back side directly on the heat and bond paper , it won't bleed through.

5.Cut a background. You can use the paper that came with the frame as the template for your background or trace one if you don't have that. I cut my background from one piece of fabric but you could sew together a background as well.
...like this one I made for Cinda with a bi-color field behind the chic sort of like a horizon line.(sorry about the glarey photo)


6. Attach your chic to the background. First lay the frame over the background and decide the placement of your chic before you adhere it . I like to add a top stitch around the edge of the chic, but the heat and bond will be enough if you do not want to stitch. I also like to attach a flat button at this point, as a little peeper.
7. Frame and hang your scrappy chic art!