Alright y’all! First tutorial it is!

It’s a rainy day here in the sticks and I’m going to spend it with you, sharing how to create the coveted reverse canvas.

This is one of my personal favorites due to the versatility of it. They can be made to fit with any décor. I just learned about these a few months ago and they have since taken the craft world by storm. They are a little easier project for those intimidated by wood crafts. Reverse canvases are also cost effective. You will find that the basic wood frame hidden inside is surprisingly decorative. Just add a little stain and you instantly have a rustic, barn wood kind of feel. You can also paint the frames and canvases to match virtually anything.

Craftiness Level (0-10): 6

Time Investment: 30 minutes minimum (not including design time)

Materials:

• Blank canvas
• exacto knife
• sandpaper
• tack cloth (or some other material to wipe sanded frame)
• Stain
• Stain cloth (or something to apply stain with
• Q-tip
• Vinyl (HTV or 651)
• staple gun
• Silhouette or other die-cut machine
• Silhouette Studio or other design software
• craft paper *optional
• glue gun *optional

Step 1: Free the Canvas

On the back side of the canvas, where staples are exposed cut around the staples to free the canvas. Some people actually remove each staple, however, I’m a fan of shortcuts so I do it the easiest way. Those staples are going to be covered by canvas again anyway and won’t be visible.

Step 2: Sand the Frame

Once canvas is removed put it somewhere where tiny fingers can’t touch it or spill juice on it. Sand the frame for use a few seconds to remove the jagged parts. I used 180 grit sandpaper my husband had in his shop. It is not essential to get all the imperfections off. Part of the beauty of these is in the rustic look of the frame. When you have finished sanding, be sure to wipe the frame down. Ideally, you will use a tack cloth, but if you are me your kids may have hidden the tack cloth so you just settle for a paper towel.

Step 3: Apply Stain

Next, apply stain evenly and smoothly around frame. You can splurge and buy the technical tools, like a stain cloth or sponge, or you can just find an old sock that’s long lost it’s mate and use it. I try to stay in the same direction and go over it several times. Inside the frame are slots where the wood was joined. I feel these just add to the rustic feel and so I don’t do a lot to conceal them. I just take a q-tip and dip it in the stain and try and get as far down in those slots as I can.

Step 4: Create (or import) your design

While stain dries (I recommend 24 hours), Work up a design in Silhouette Studio (or import an SVG). These frames look great with popular family designs ( ex. The Smiths est. 20007) and also look beautiful with sayings or Bible verses. Once my design is created, I create a space the same dimensions as my canvas. This one is 8X10. I then work the design to fit it to show how it would appear on the canvas. I always make sure to allow for the frame being stapled back on and do not use the entire space. So I made this design approximately 5 X 7 to allot for the frame. Once I’ve decided on a font, I drag my text over to fit the mat I am cutting on and turn on cut lines to make sure it fits in my cut parameters.

Step 5: Cut your design

Select your material and cut it using your machine. I use Silhouette Cameo 3 – here’s my tutorial for making the first cut. Your choice of material can actually vary. I prefer Oracal 651 vinyl as I have always found 651 to be much easier to weed (and much cheaper). For 651 an extra step is added. Once it is weeded you then need to transfer it to an HTV carrier sheet. I save the sheets from shirts I do for this purpose. You will need to use these sheets essentially as transfer paper and pick up your design so that the sticky side is on the back and can be placed on the canvas. If you choose to do HTV, you will need to be sure to mirror your design.

Step 6: Adhere your design to canvas

Center your design on the canvas. Place the canvas on the heat press or under the iron. When using HTV I use my heat press. I find it to be quicker and easier. I have found for 651 that the heat press is a little too much heat, so I prefer to apply that by iron. When using the iron I place it at the highest temperature and place a teflon sheet over and press and hold 3-5 seconds. I pick up each time until I have the whole design pressed. You will be able to tell because the vinyl will appear melted into the canvas, much as HTV appears on a shirt. The texture of the canvas will be showing through the vinyl also. For HTV, I usually already have my press set to 315. I cover with teflon a press the whole thing for 5 seconds. If it doesn’t appear to have adhered completely I may press again for another 5 seconds.

Step 7: Secure canvas to frame

Once you have your design adhered to the canvas you will need to get the canvas back on the frame. Center your design on the canvas and then carefully flip it over being sure to hold the design in place. Take a staple gun and begin by placing a staple in each of the four corners. As you do this, be sure to pull tightly. Otherwise the canvas may appear loose. Once four staples are in, I always double check and make sure I have it like I want it before committing to the final staples. You will need to add more staples to secure the sides. I add 3 more to each side to make sure the canvas is pulled tightly. Once this is done, cut the excess canvas from the frame.

Step 8 (Optional): Add Craft Paper & Sawtooth Hanger

I find that the staples look a bit rough and prefer a more finished look. This is simply achieved by adding craft paper. First, cut a piece off the roll that is bigger than your frame. Use the straightest edge of the paper to help you align that to one side and then hot glue it in place. Continue around the frame gluing the craft paper in place. Then cut the excess off with an exacto knife. Finally, secure a sawtooth hanger to the frame.

There you have it folks! While I wish I could brag that my finished product is flawless, clearly it is not. However, I find that is the beauty in handmade. Human error reminds you it was lovingly crafted by another person. I can’t wait to display mine in my office! I hope you found this tutorial useful. Please leave any questions in the comments. Also, if you give it a try come back and share a picture of your finished product in the comments! I’d love to see your creations!