Fabric Covered Photo Mat Tutorial

So in my last post you got a little tease of the big photo gallery wall I have been working on. Well for two of the pictures I ended up covering the mat in the frame with fabric. I have the dreaded white walls in my house and the white mat was just way to bland for me. So I thought I would share my method for covering photo mats with fabric. Just 10 simple steps and you can have a one of a kind photo mat.

Do you recognize the fabric? It is from the Paisley Bird Knot dress at the shop :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90015404/paisley-bird-knot-twrill-dress-teal-pink

Step 1: Gather supplies and choose your fabric. Cut a square slightly larger than your mat.

Step 2: Use a diapering ink pen or chalk to mark the corners of you photo opening in the mat.

Step 3: Using a straight edge, mark a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite. Repeat with other side. Your will end up with a large X over your photo space. 

Step 4: Use scissors to cut a hole in the middle of your X. Then but down each line to the corner marks you first made. Be very careful not to cut past your marks.

Step 5: Lay your fabric upside down and lay your photo mat upside down on top making sure to match the photo space corners with your the end point of your cuts.

Step 6: Starting with the inside photo space (please ignore the fact that I have already done the outside here... I promise it will be easier if you start on the outside), Pull the fabric back around the mat. You may have to cut some of the fabric away so it does not hang off the edge. Then tape it in place.

Step 7: This is important! Go to the OPPOSITE side of the opening and repeat the process. Doing the opposite side next will ensure that you are getting everything even.

Step 8: Do the same thing to the final two pieces. And then move on to the outside. Remember, start with one side and then do the OPPOSITE side to keep things even.

Step 9: Pull the corner of the fabric straight up. Then pull it straight back and tape it in place. You are not really going to see the corner of the mat in the frame, so the point here is to make sure that your fabric is pulled taunt to keep it from creasing.

Step 10: Put it in your frame with the photo and enjoy!