This is a DIY string project I made for my sisters wedding. She asked me to make a sign for the entrance of the reception. I wanted to make it something special and original. I searched everywhere for ideas and loved the look of string art. Everybody at the wedding absolutely loved it and I received a lot of compliments. It admittedly took me longer than I thought it would but it was well worth it.

Step 1: Template

I used one piece of plywood for the base of the project. The size of the plywood depends on the size of your project. I found plywood was the best as the nails hammered in without cracking or leaving bulky overflow. I made a template for my project and taped it in place. Masking tape worked fine. How to print a large template instructions can be found here: http://scottiestech.info/2009/08/08/how-to-easily-print-a-large-image-to-multiple-pages-in-windows/

Step 2: Nail

After the template was in place I hammered in the nails. Leaving the template in place while hammering in the nails worked best for me. I measured the nails 2 inches apart. To make all the nails the same height I used the spine a book pushed up against the nail as a guide.

Step 3: Don't Forget to Paint

I changed my mind half way through about the plywood backing and wanted to paint it white. As I had already hammered in the nails I had to take them all out to paint the board. I thought about painting the board with the nails already in but figured out it would be easier to take them out first. It took three coats of paint to give me the look I was after. As the holes were already there from the nails before it was easy to nail them back in.

Step 4: String

Next step is the string. As my project was pretty big I used a 300m reel of jute twine. I started the string off around the outside of the template to get a base and then spent the next 4 hours wrapping the string in and out of the nails. To finish off the project I ran the string around the outline to give it some pop. I used clear nail polish to seal the knots.

Step 5: Finished

I finished the heart before I started work on the Colbeck at the bottom. To do this I followed the same steps as above. The project was a great hit and I plan on making many more. If you have any queries or requests please let me know.

Cheers Kate