Introduction: A Giant Patchwork and Button Mosaic Letter

By Infinite Web Site
About: Hi! We are Inifinite Crafts, a small craft company with a big range of manufacturing equipment, including lasers, routers, and die casters. We specialise in manufacturing craft items, in particular letters an…

This giant initial capital letter has a flat bottom so that it can sit on a shelf but this technique is just as suitable to decorate any large letter. By using one giant letter rather than a whole name you have a lot more scope for creativity!

Step 1: What You Need

  1. A giant mdf or wooden letter
  2. Felt cut to the shape you want (for this herringbone effect the width needs to be half the length)
  3. Extra felt for the edges
  4. Buttons
  5. PVA glue
  6. All purpose adhesive

Step 2: Lay Out Your Design

Lay on your felt pieces to make a patchwork design. Ensure you have enough to wrap around the edges. Leave holes for your button mosaic.

I experimented with a random design and thought it looked better with patterns. However experiment and play and don't stick anything down until you are happy.

It is a good idea to take a photograph at this stage. It will be necessary to remove the pieces of felt so that you don't drip glue on them so a photograph allows you to recreate it in the same way

Step 3: Glue on the Felt

Use the PVA to glue on the felt. Apply the glue to the letter not the felt as it stops the glue seeping though to the surface of the felt. Make sure your felt pieces butt together without any gaps and snip the edges to fold around the curves. Keep washing your hands and try and keep the glue off any felt you have already stuck on. However if you do get glue on the felt surface you can use a woven damp cloth (while it is still wet) to lightly rub it off.

Step 4: Glue Felt on the Edges

Where possible the edges look best with the felt folded down. However around the curves it will be necessary to now apply strips of felt to cover the gaps.

Step 5: Add the Button Mosaic

Now fill in the spaces you left with buttons. Apply the contact adhesive to the letter and stick on your buttons. It is best to start with the bigger buttons and then fill in the gaps with smaller ones. This also helps to create a random pattern of colours.

Now let it dry and you are finished