DIY Hooped Hipster Portrait • CHILD Magazines

05 Jan DIY Hooped Hipster Portrait

Posted at 19:30h in Celebrate, Inspire by Guest Contributer

Create your very own embroidered artwork using a black and white photograph that has been heat-transferred onto fabric.

Make one or make a series, use a couple for a perfect wedding or anniversary gift, or nerd up your favourite little person for a family portrait that even Wes Anderson would approve of.

You’ll need:

Embroidery hoop (25cm diameter)
Small paintbrush
Black and white acrylic paint
Masking or washi tape
Spray varnish
Approx. 1m of cotton (to allow for mistakes)
Scissors Iron-on photo transfer paper
Printer
Iron White cardboard
Coloured pencils
Grey lead pencil
Needle Embroidery floss/thread in a variety of colours

How to

Paint the outer ring of the hoop frame. Freestyle the stripes or paint white first, then mask off areas at regular intervals and paint black over the whole thing.

When dry, remove tape to reveal stripes. Give your stripy hoop a light spray of gloss varnish to protect it and give it a nice finish.

Measure your pre-washed cotton against the hoop and cut a section larger than your hoop diameter.

Print out your portrait image in black and white onto the transfer paper using your home printer, then carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions, transfer the image to the cotton.

Take some time to practise drawing and colouring bow ties using your card and coloured pencils. Once you’re happy with your bow tie, cut it out, position it on your transfer and gently trace around it using the grey lead pencil.

Using a simple satin stitch, fill in your bow tie with your chosen pattern. We chose balanced stripes for a rainbow effect, but spots would also work well, and a party hat or a moustache would look ace as well.

To hang your portrait, carefully screw cup hooks into the back or use the top screw bracket as an anchor for ribbon or string. Otherwise just lean your portrait on a shelf in primo position and enjoy your handiwork!

Tip: We aren’t gonna lie – transfer paper can be kind of mean. Read the instructions carefully. Make sure you pick a linen or cotton fabric so it can be ironed hot without damage. Allowing the extra material for mistakes is reserved for the transfer paper. Everything else is a doddle!

This project is from The Craft Companion: The A-Z Guide to Modern Crafting by Ramona Barry and Rebecca Jobson published by Thames & Hudson, RRP $65, available now.