Just last week I revealed the new studio, and I already have a ton of requests for the "how to" on these awesome string letters, so here goes! I think this would be an awesome way to put up a name or monogram in a nursery or kid's room.
SUPPLIES:
Heavy duty paper
Hammer
Small brad nails (about 1 1/2" - 2" length)
Level
String
Painter's tape or masking tape
This crochet thread was just about $2.00 for each color. I HAVE ENOUGH TO LAST A LIFETIME NOW!
Step 1. PRINT. Using the heavy weight paper, print out what you want to type in a font you like. Remember, the more curves the font has the more work you'll have, so try and choose a fairly simple, "squared off" font. As you can tell, my letters were about 8" tall.
Step 2. TAPE UP GUIDE. Using the level to align it all, tape up the paper letters where you want them on the wall. Tape all the sides, top and bottoms (this will be important later)
Step 3. HAMMER THE NAILS IN. Hammer in along the edge of the letters. Make sure to hammer all the corners, and about 3-4 around any curves to ensure that it has an easy curve rather than a sharp corner. The stronger the curve, the more nails you'll need. (I highly suggest you hammer one letter at a time, move to step 4 and 5, then come back to step 3 for the next letter)
Step 4. PEEL THE PAPER. Pull the paper off leaving the nails in the wall.
Step 5. WRAP THE STRING. Start by tying a not around one of the nails. It doesn't really matter which nail you start on. Wrap around all the perimeter of the letters approximately 5 times to make the base. Then "fill in" the letter by randomly wrapping and criss-crossing in the middle of the letter. Once you fill it in to your satisfaction, wrap 20-30 more times around the perimeter. This will make the string about 3/4" - 1" tall. Once you're done keep the the string taught while tying another knot around a nail. Then just cut the extra string at each of the ends.
Step 6. HAMMER THEM FLUSH. Although I wrapped 3/4"-1" tall on each letter, I had more nail hanging out. So I went back and hammered mine so they were all about the same height. Make sure to hammer them so that the nails angle out a little. This will help keep the string tight.
