Ok, this is my absolute favorite project we did for the Dwell with Dignity home, and one that I definitely want to replicate for my own home at some point. We created DIY Tree String Art, and today I’m going to walk you through exactly how we did it.
Here are the supplies we used:
- Old-school Overhead Projector
- PureBond Plywood cut down to 24″ x 24″ (We used two of these since we made two art pieces.)
- Wood Veneer Edgebanding
- Iron
- Minwax Stain and Sealer in Dark Walnut
- Tree images printed out (you can search free images online)
- Blank Transparency Sheet
- Sharpie Marker
- Embroidery Floss (lots and lots of embroidery floss)
- Brass Escutcheon Pins (you can find these at Home Depot)
- Hammer
- Chalk
First, I purchased a sheet of PureBond Plywood from Home Depot, and had them cut two pieces at 24″ x 24″. (Yes, they will cut it for you when you buy it if you ask!) I love using PureBond for projects because it is made from hardwood and is environmentally friendly. It has a soy-based adhesive rather than formaldehyde and therefore promotes healthy indoor air quality.
I used a hot iron to adhere the Edgebanding around the perimeter of the board, camouflaging the raw edges and giving it a “finished” appearance.
I used Minwax Stain and Sealer in Dark Walnut (2 coats).
My friend Dena was kind enough to let us use her projector.
She simply printed a silhouette version of the trees and traced the images onto a blank transparency sheet with a Sharpie. This was much cheaper than having a transparency printed! We used two of the trees from this free image.
Christina Wedge (an awesome local photographer) helped trace the tree image onto the board with chalk. Then, we hammered the brass pins (about an inch apart) on top of our chalk line, forming the shape of the tree.
We made sure to include a few of the natural gaps between tree branches.
We used wet wipes to wipe the chalk off after we had hammered in all of the pins.
Now, the fun part! (Or tedious part, but the good thing is it’s mindless so you can do this part while watching your favorite TV show.) Tie the end of your embroidery floss to one of the brass pins. I started at the bottom/trunk area and worked my way up.
Wind it around the pins randomly, winding and crossing it until you run out of floss, then tie it to another pin and start again. I alternated with two different shades of green (an olive and a pea green).
Repeat this process until you get your tree as dense as you like. Snip the ends of the thread after tying your knots.
I attached D-rings to the back in order to hang the artwork on the wall.
Here they are in the Dwell with Dignity home:
Photo provided by Brian Patrick Flynn.
You can see the Dwell with Dignity home reveal here. Other projects from the home can be found here and here.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE POSTS:
- DIY Nursery String Art Tutorial
- DIY Quatrefoil Photo Wall Art
- Stenciled Canvas Instagram Photo Display
- or visit my Project Gallery
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I really like those!!
Thank you, Heather!
I’ve always wanted to try string art, but have never attempted it. You guys knocked it out of the park with these!
I would love to know where you got the tree stencil from! I’ve looked but can’t find anything that I like as much as yours!
Hi Rhonda! I actually didn’t use a stencil for that. I found a tree image online and then transferred it onto a transparency and used an overhead projector.