• Guest, Help The DPF Community Thrive - Join Our Donation Drive Today!

    We're launching a special DPF Donation Drive to ensure our beloved forum continues to flourish. Your support is vital in helping us cover essential server costs and keep our community running smoothly — This is more than just a donation; it's an investment in the future of our community.

    Join us in this crucial drive and let's ensure our forum remains a vibrant and dynamic place for everyone.

    Please visit the DPF Donation Drive Thread for details and instructions on how you can make your donation today!

GUIDE An easy way to frame your pins: Stretched Canvas

Awhile ago I was trying to come up with a cheap and easy way to display my pins. I had looked into cork boards, but I wasn't a fan of the way it looked. I tried using acid free foam board, but the pins would slip off the boards easily. Then I discovered the magic that is stretched canvas. Cheap and easy.

IMG_9116_zps5b6d9367.jpg


All you need is a canvas like this (Found eevverryywwwhheerree... and more specifically Michaels and other craft stores),

IMG_9117_zpsda8c4fdf.jpg

black fabric (the stretchier the better), strong tape (duct or Gaffers tape) and a stapler with staples. And according to the picture above, you also need Animal bandaids, a stack of DVDs, and some biscotti. More on the biscotti later.

Lay down the fabric and cut it slightly larger than the surface area of the stretched canvas. You want it to be able to wrap around the canvas to the back. Using your stapler, simply staple the fabric to the canvas back.
IMG_9111_zps596aa137.jpg


(I apologize for my horrible scissor work. I can't cut straight.) As you staple the fabric to the back of the canvas, be sure to pull it tightly so that there are no weird bumps or saggy areas on the other side. One benefit to using stretchy black fabric is that it is easy to pull taught. Once the fabric has been securely stapled, trim any loos fabric.
IMG_9110_zps3ec76648.jpg


Time for tape! Tape over the staples and edge of the black fabric to add some additional security to the fabric. I like using gaffers tape because it is durable and bonds well. But it is expensive, so if you have duct tape, use that.
IMG_9112_zps51b4dd89.jpg



And now you're done. You can place the canvas in a frame and hang it or just place a pin or nail in your wall and hang the canvas up with your pins!
IMG_9113_zps75522915.jpg


You may be asking yourself, how do I put my pins on this thing? Simple. Pop the pin in through the black fabric and canvas and you're good to go. The black fabric hides any holes made by the removal and moving of pins all over the canvas.
IMG_9249_zpsf3b14a70.jpg


And BAM. Before you know it, you have a wall covered in pins with a classy backing. No funky cork board, no squeaky foam board. And they look great framed too.
IMG_9247_zps2e6a6133.jpg






You may now eat the biscotti.


- Alex
 
You know, it's funny because just last night I went to A.C.Moore and Michael's to do a little recon and evaluate what my options are for a nice looking display. I currently have cork, but I'm not really liking the look of it. I love the way your framed pins display. Thanks for the tips Alex!
 
This is what I do as well! I was tired of damaging my pin posts with the types of shadowboxes that I was using and I didn't want to put my more prized pins on hard cork so I bought canvases. I get the two pack 16x20 canvases from Michaels.
 
Great idea, love this! I used a mini canvas to display one of my beloved PATF pins but I used a scrapper pin first to pierce the canvas before I popped my pin in, incase anyone is worrying about damaging their pin posts :)

Mmm biscotti... I has none in :(
 
Very Cool Idea!! Can I ask how you framed them using the stretched canvas. Isn't it to thick to us a frame?
 
I plan on doing mini versions of these for my small collections! I appear to have aquird a small tangled collection! Very nice displays you have by the way!
 
Just came back from Michaels!! Bought 2 24X36 Canvases and felt to cover them!! Thanks for the idea!! I had previously purchased some shadowboxes, but they didn't have the cushioned depth to stick the pin!! This should work well!!

Thanks for the idea!!
 
Great idea. Your displays are great. I never thought about using fabric. I used the paper from the Disney scrapbook package that they sell at Michaels. However, if I use fabric perhaps with fabric glue, I can create more options. This is what I created using the canvas:
attachment.php
attachment.php
 
Last edited:
Do you think you could cut small holes in the canvas without affecting the overall display? That looks like it'd be a neat way to display PODMs, cut out a small square just behind where the film is, and mount some LED lights inside the frame on the back side to light them up... (Or even stained glass pins, or any others that would look better with a light behind them...)

Just not sure if cutting too much of the fabric would cause it to 'wilt' or not...
 
Just came back from Michaels!! Bought 2 24X36 Canvases and felt to cover them!! Thanks for the idea!! I had previously purchased some shadowboxes, but they didn't have the cushioned depth to stick the pin!! This should work well!!

Thanks for the idea!!
Oh yeah. I bought the Michaels shadowboxes and learned this lesson the hard way. The first pin I stuck in didnt go in so I pushed harder and bent the pin. I then bought the pieces of cork board, stuck them to the back of the shadowbox, and covered them with pages of a Disney Princess Calendar. They look good though.

Do you think you could cut small holes in the canvas without affecting the overall display? That looks like it'd be a neat way to display PODMs, cut out a small square just behind where the film is, and mount some LED lights inside the frame on the back side to light them up... (Or even stained glass pins, or any others that would look better with a light behind them...)

Just not sure if cutting too much of the fabric would cause it to 'wilt' or not...

That sounds awesome.
 
Funny, I had never thought of using canvas, but my sister, who is not a pin collector but very crafty did. She surprised me at christmas with a canvas pin board she had painted and decorated with Alice in Wonderland cuts she found. It was pretty cool.
 
Great idea. Your displays are great. I never thought about using fabric. I used the paper from the Disney scrapbook package that they sell at Michaels. However, if I use fabric perhaps with fabric glue, I can create more options. This is what I created using the canvas:

Those look great! Use what works best for you.
 
Do you think you could cut small holes in the canvas without affecting the overall display? That looks like it'd be a neat way to display PODMs, cut out a small square just behind where the film is, and mount some LED lights inside the frame on the back side to light them up... (Or even stained glass pins, or any others that would look better with a light behind them...)

Just not sure if cutting too much of the fabric would cause it to 'wilt' or not...

Alex, how taught to you pull the fabric when you staple it? If it's super tight, I could see that being a problem when you cut the holes for the lighting. I'd be intrigued in how this would work though. I had a shadowbox for mine, but it didn't turn out great.
 
Back
Top