Using Spray Starch to Adhere Fabric

Using Spray Starch to Adhere Fabric

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decor, DIY, fabric, furniture

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Hi all! I'm so excited to show you my latest project:  Adhering fabric to the back of my china hutch!  Want to know how to do it?  Read on!

So I revealed my china hutch the other day. It's not finished. But I wanted give a little info on how I was able to adhere the fabric to the back. It was SO easy!

First I measured the back of each shelf area and then cut the fabric to that size. Then I held it to the back to check the size...perfect!

HA HA HA HA!  That was funny, wasn't it?  Hold on while I wipe my eyes. Ok, there. So we all know what really happened. I measured, then cut, then held it up to the back to  check the size which was WAY off. So I eyeballed the amount I needed to trim and cut it crookedly. So then I had to trim it some more to even it out. Of course, then it was too small on a side so I had to ditch it and do it again. Except this time instead of trimming it by eyeballing it and I just ran my open scissors along the crease. Perfect!  HA HA!  HA HA!  I did it again!  Bazinga!  I kill me. So again I had to trim it and then decided it was just fine if it wasn't perfect because really, is anything in life perfect?

Then I got out my new favorite product.

Spray starch!  You know my mom actually uses this stuff to iron my dad's shirts??  I'm not sure which is cuter...the fact she irons or the fact she uses spray starch for its intended purpose. She's so quaint. Anyway, buy the aerosol kind not this one but it's the same stuff. Some brands call it sizing.

I sprayed the back of the cabinet pretty heavily. It smells purty. Then I just stuck the fabric on top and moved it until it was in the position I wanted. It dries quickly but you still have plenty of time to move the fabric around. Then I just sprayed under and over the fabric, smoothing it out as I went.

The best part is that when I tire of this print I can just peel it off, wipe the back of the cabinet, and adhere something else. If I wash the fabric then I can use that for something else too!

There is so much you can do with this method. As a teacher, my mind started reeling. Wouldn't it be cute to adhere a big fabric tree to a wall and then change out the leaves, flowers, branches, etc. for the seasons? Or how about having kids make different planets using fabric and creating a fabric solar system?  Then they could create their own planets and decorate them in crazy fabrics and use it a a creative writing prompt. 

I will make a confession. I have a white blouse hat is super thin and gauzy. I tried the spray starch on it while I ironed it and wow, it is awesomely pressed and crisp. So while I poke fun at my mommy, she is a smart lady who irons a mean shirt.


In other news,  I spent the day in a great third grade and tomorrow I'm in second. I am finding myself loving being back in a classroom and I am leaning toward going back in September. I'd love to do part time but full time may be ok too. But as soon as I made that decision I changed my mind when I rocked Ellie before bed. I felt like I hadn't seen her all day (which I really hadn't) and I also didn't have any alone time with her. So then I decided I wasn't going back! LOL! I guess we'll see what happens as the time gets closer.

Cheers!
Jenny