This project is a quick (quicker than you think!) and fun way to make an Easter-themed decoration for your home. Use scraps of fabric, even your precious favorites (like the Liberty of London fabrics I used) because you only need a little bit. You can make just one shadowbox, or a few for a wall collection.
Materials:
- One 8x10 wooden shadowbox (mine came from Michaels)
- Craft paint in your choice of color
- Foam paintbrush
- Newspaper
- One sheet of 81/2" x 11" copy paper
- Pencil
- Paper scissors
- Fabric scraps
- Thread
- One manilla file folder (or your choice of cardstock)
- Glue dots (available in the scrapbooking section of the craft store, you can use regular glue or double stick tape if you’d rather but I think the glue dots are the easiest to manage)
- Ric rac
Directions:
Cover your work surface with newspaper and paint the wooden shadowbox with the craft paint, covering the inside and outside edges as well as the front. You don’t need to paint the center, since it will be covered.
While the shadowbox is drying, make your egg template by trimming the copy paper to 8” x 10”.
Lightly sketch the shape of an egg in the center of the paper, leaving a border of about 1” at the top and bottom of the page.
Fold the paper in half vertically and cut out the egg shape, cutting both sides of the egg at the same time (through the fold). You can follow the pencil lines you drew or adjust them as you cut if necessary. Open your paper and check to see if you’re satisfied with the egg shape, and adjust it if necessary.
Once you’re happy with your egg shape, cut an 8" x 10" rectangle from the manilla file folder, avoiding any crease lines in the folder.
Place your copy paper egg template over the top of the manilla rectangle, matching up all the edges, and lightly trace the egg shape.
Using sharp scissors and starting in the center of the egg, pierce through the manilla rectangle and carefully cut out the egg shape, being careful not to crease the rest of the manilla sheet. Even out any rough lines along the egg shape if need be.
Arrange your fabric scraps on your work surface in an order that you like. You can make multiple equally-sized strips, or a top and bottom with a narrow strip in the middle, or whatever combination you like.
You want to end up with a fabric piece that’s about 7” by 9” but how you piece them is up to you. Just make sure your finished piece of fabric ends up measuring roughly 7” x 9”.
Cut your fabric into strips that match your stripe design (remembering to add an extra ¼” on each long edge of the strips to allow for seams) and sew them together.
Press each seam to the darker side of the fabrics and press the front nice and flat.
Place your manilla egg template over your pieced fabric to see how the stripes will fall on the egg. Add more fabric if you need to, then trim the pieced fabric to 7” x 9”.
Using glue dots, stick your fabric to the inside of the shadowbox frame. Make sure the fabric is smooth and readjust it as necessary.
Place your manilla egg template into the shadowbox to make sure it will fit. Trim it down a bit if necessary, until it fits in the box.
Using glue dots, stick the manilla egg template into the frame, directly over the fabric.
Cut a piece of ric rac to fit the shape of the egg, and stick it along the edge of the egg template using glue dots every few inches.
Add a hanger to your shadowbox and enjoy your new Easter wall art!
