Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays. This year I knew I wanted something fun to sit on my shelf and I am so happy with how my Halloween String Art turned out.
Are you ready for Halloween?
We are getting so excited for Halloween. We’ve pulled out our decorations and are putting the finishing touches on how everything is set up.
We’ve almost figured out everyone’s costumes and my husband is having a lot of fun getting the yard ready for trick or treaters.
What is string art?
I remember doing string art when I was a little girl in elementary school. We called it yarn art because we used yarn. It looked a little different but it’s still pretty much the same concept.
String art is using string (I’m using embroidery floss) to wrap around nails to create an image. The nails are nailed into a board outlining the image, you can do almost any image you can think of.
This boo string art is a project I’ve been wanting to tackle for a while now. I’m pretty much obsessed with decorating for Halloween and one more decoration wasn’t going to hurt anyone.
You can never have too many Halloween decorations…right?
How do I make Halloween String Art?
To make your own Halloween string art you’re going to need to collect your supplies and set aside a little time. Creating string art isn’t hard but depending on what you’re making it can take some time.
We used letters printed from the computer laid out on a board and hammered nails around each letter to create our image. You can use a cutting machine or printer for your stencil.
What do I need to make string art?
- Board (ours is 7″x 14″)
- Black paint & paint brush
- Image + scissors (or cutting machine)
- Embroidery floss (we used orange, purple, and green – 2-3 of each color)
- Nails (with a head, approximately 1″ long)
- Hammer
Let’s make string art!
Paint your piece of wood. I painted my board black and sanded the edges.
Next, you will print out the letters choosing the font you would like to use and the size of the letters. My letters measure 4 inches.
Then cut out your letters this will be used as your pattern (you could also use your Cricut machine to cut the letters out for you).
Trace the letters onto the wood with a pencil. Make sure the letters are spaced out evenly. This is when a tape measure comes in handy.
You could also print out your letters and then lay the paper out on the board and nail around them instead of cutting out each letter.
Just make sure your letters are spaced how you want them to be on the board.
It’s hammer time! I started at the top of the letter and spaced my nails out evenly while following the lines.
You can space them out as close or far apart as you want. I hammered the nails 1/2 way into the wood.
When you are all finished make sure all the nails are secure in the wood.
Let’s get stringing.
These are the colors of embroidery floss I used. I chose these colors because they remind me of Halloween!
You can have a lot of fun picking out floss because there are so many colors out there to choose from. This is great because not everyone uses the same colors for their seasonal decor.
Time to start stringing!! I tied my floss around the first nail to keep it secure and started stringing and worked my way from nail to nail around the letters.
My only advice for this part is to push your string down on the nail as you go. That is what is fun about this Halloween string art, you can’t really mess up!
Remember when we warned you that this might take a little while. Find a comfy chair and catch up on your T.V. shows and string until your fingers are sore!
Here she is – BOO Halloween String Art all finished!!!
My kids were having fun going through my Halloween stuff and they found this cute little spider and they decided the Halloween string art needed a spider on it. I thought it looked cute!
I really thought this Halloween string art would be a lot harder than it was. That is one of the reasons I was putting off trying it, but it was actually really fun and relaxing once I got the hang of it.
I’m already thinking of different designs I can make for the different holidays coming up!
Boo Halloween String Art
Dress up your shelf with your own Boo Halloween String Art.
Materials
- 1 Board (ours is 7" tall, 14" long, and 1" thick)
- Black Paint
- Stain (optional for edges)
- Nails (about 1" with a head)
- Embroidery Floss (2-3 per color, per letter)
- Image (print or cut out with cutting machine)
Tools
- Hammer
- Paint brush
- Sandpaper
Instructions
- Gather supplies.
- Sand board smooth (if needed).
- Paint board.
- If desired sand edges.
- If desired stain sanded edges.
- Apply image to board. You can print out an image and tape it to the board and nail around each letter and then remove. You can also use a cutting machine to cut the letters out and nail around the edges.
- Start at the top of each letter and space nails out evenly around the edges. You can choose how close or far apart you want them. Hammer them in about 1/2 way.
- Tie your embroidery floss around one nail and start stringing. Work your way from nail to nail pushing the floss down the nail as you go. You can choose to zigzag back and forth or just go from nail to nail.
- Repeat step 8 for each letter.
- Sit back and enjoy your sign.
Notes
Once you've made your first string art the possibilities are endless for future projects. You're going to be addicted. We warned you! 🙂
Recommended Products
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24PCS Sand Paper Variety Pack Sandpaper 12 Grits Assorted for Wood Metal Sanding, Wet Dry Sandpaper 120/150/180/240/320/400/600/800/1000/1500/2500/3000 Grit
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US Art Supply 1 inch Foam Sponge Wood Handle Paint Brush Set (Super Value Pack of 50) - Lightweight, Durable and Great for Acrylics, Stains, Varnishes, Crafts, Art
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Apple Barrel Gloss Acrylic Paint in Assorted Colors (2-Ounce), 20662 Black
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Cricut Maker, Champagne
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Embroidery Floss Rainbow Color 50 Skeins Per Pack Cross Stitch Threads Friendship Bracelets Floss Crafts Floss
Happy Stringing!
If you enjoyed our Halloween String Art tutorial make sure you check out these other tutorials:
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Sydney @ Tastefully Frugal
I’ve seen the string art before and it looks so complicated and difficult but your tutorial Angela looks awesome and something I could definitely do! May have to give this one a try!
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Isn’t it so cute? I am really wishing I could convince her to give it to me! ~Jenn
Erin
I’m trying this~ What size board and nails did you use? Did it take to the packs of the floss for each letter? Thanks!
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The board measures 7″ tall and 14″ long. 2-3 things of floss were used for each letter and the nails are just a skinny nail that had a head on it big enough to keep the string below it. Thanks so much for stopping by and hope if you make it you’ll share your finished product with us!