Fabric is such an easy way to decorate, and you aren’t limited to using fabric on just chairs and curtains, either. A good fabric is itself a piece of art. Think about it—there is a seemingly endless supply of beautiful fabric out there, much of it with lovely unique designs already printed and ready to go! That’s what I thought when I saw this fabric.

After a few canvas painting failures, I decided to go in a different direction and use fabric to create a canvas art piece. For those of us who aren’t the best at painting designs on canvas, fabric is an amazing alternative. And I got super lucky to find something that was exactly the look and feel I was going for! The best part is that you can use fabric to easily make over an old canvas painting you already have; you can give it a completely new look for the fraction of the cost of a brand new canvas. So let’s get to it!

Supplies you’ll need for canvas fabric:

Canvas, old or new, any sizeFabricScissorsSpray adhesiveHand-held staple gunIron

Instructions to made wall art from canvas fabric:

Step 1: Measurements

First, you need to measure your canvas so you know how much fabric to buy. My canvas was 26 inches by 40 inches, while my fabric was 54 inches wide. I bought 1.25 yards (45 inches) of fabric so I’d have a little extra to work with while positioning the canvas.

A little note on fabric—the easiest fabric to work with is probably a stiff cotton. If you use a stretchier fabric, you might inadvertently stretch out any design the fabric has.

Step 2: Laydown fabric

Lay your fabric out on your workspace and then set your canvas on top. Mark where you’ll cut on each side. Make sure you leave about 3 inches of extra fabric on each side; this is what you’ll use to get that wrapped canvas look. Be mindful of how your fabric’s design will look on the canvas. Does it need to be centered? Is there a pattern that might look funky if it isn’t lined up a certain way?

Step 3: ironing process

Once you’ve cut your fabric, iron it to remove any wrinkles and lay it out on your workspace with the right side of the fabric down. Then, in a well-ventilated area, spray down the entire front of the canvas and gently lay it on the ironed fabric. The adhesive won’t do a great job keeping the fabric in place, but it will help you position it before stapling.

Step 4: Cutting the excess

Flip the canvas over and wrap the excess fabric around the canvas and start stapling. I started with the top, then I made sure the fabric was still completely wrinkle-free on the front and stapled the bottom. When you’re stapling the sides, just fold the corners like you’re wrapping a present.

Step 5: Stapling

When you’re done stapling, trim any excess fabric and your new piece is ready to show off!

Isn’t it lovely? I’m so happy with how this piece turned out, and it was such an easy and cheap way to create a lovely art piece for my home!