https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bulletin-board-from-springs-and-frame • Posted by KarenJ
Need a new idea for a bulletin board? I am inspired by the use of baby bed springs for a display in an antique mall. My board uses the metal fabric from a roll away bed. Fastened to the back (flat part) of a frame,I can clip my notes and pictures to the bed spring wires with all sorts of clips.
Need a new idea for a bulletin board? I am inspired by the use of baby bed springs for a display in an antique mall. My board uses the metal fabric from a roll away bed. Fastened to the back (flat part) of a frame,I can clip my notes and pictures to the bed spring wires with all sorts of clips.
I found this cot for $3 at a yard sale. Perfect for this craft, with some left over. Use any springs, from a baby bed, a cot, a roll away bed.
Get out your needle nose pliers and take the springs out of the frame of the bed.
In some cases, you will need to pull the springs toward the edge of the cot. This reduces tension and makes it easier to remove. Go ahead and remove that outermost coiled spring from the rest of the spring fabric...this will save you irritating tangles later.
After removing all the outer coiled springs, lay out the spring fabric so you can mark where to undo connections to get the amount needed for your frame. Dog optional. Muddy likes to be where the action is
Now, you deserve a little break. Put ice and a glass and fill with flavored tea. Sit. Drink. Think about the colors for the project - your frame and the springs.
Lay the spring fabric on the frame. I started with the outside wire pieces hanging over the frame. On the other end of the frame, we will adjust a bit.
Grab those needle nose pliers and start unbending the wire segments from the fabric...with the goal of getting the spring fabric to fit the frame, or a tiny bit smaller, depending on how the spacing is on your fabric and the size of the fram. I wanted long and thin, so I used a 12 by 36 inch frame.
After getting the spring fabric sized to the frame, it's time to make some decisions. What color do you want the frame? I decided on black, and painted the back of the frame with a couple of coats of acrylic craft paint. I decided to leave the springs silver. Yours can be any color you want to match your decor
Back of the frame? Yup. It is easier to fasten the spring fabric onto a flat surface. If you start with a flat frame, you don't need to use the back, or if the design on the frame front will work with your fasteners, great!
We will need a background component for this craft. I took the cardboard insert from the frame and used rubber cement to glue on several strips of scrapbook paper. You could use paint, newspaper, old carpet...whatever you want. You can also skip this step for a more industrial look to your board
You will need one fastener for each intersection on the fabric. I had a bunch of these picture hangars. I did get a shorter nail than what came with them. Screw eye hooks, upholstery tacks, or even use picture wire in place of each hook. Use what you've got for this step!
Start in the middle of your frame, hooking the spring fabric on the fastener. Then work out to the corners on each side. You could measure and mark, but it works well to hook the fabric and hammer the fastener withought that effort. Don't do the short ends yet!
On the first side, continue along the frame, pulling the spring fabric and inserting the next hangar in the next intersection. Then nail it in the frame
Do the opposite side, starting in the middle. Your goal is to get the fabric fairly tight from side to side. When I used my needle nose pliers to close the hangars, everything tightened up. At the very end, you can go back and tighten if needed.
After the long sides are fastened onto the frame, slide the decorated background into the frame. Use the existing little tabs on the frame to hold it in.
Now, for the short sides, I was left without the same intersections on the fabric. I decided staples were the way to go. A neighbor gave me a little chest of fasteners and these big staples were in there. Holding one side with my pliers, I hammered in the staple, pulling the spring end tight before finishing the hammering.
Here's the finished board! Use bag clips, clothes pins, wires, whatever you want to clip things onto the wire. This board is for my craft room, so it will be full of ideas and bits and pieces of projects. Now...what to do with the rest of the spring fabric, and all the coil springs?