So the new school year is upon us, as a university student I know many people are either just moved into residence or into off campus housing that are needed to find some ways to add some personality to their walls. A demotivational banner will always remind you that the world sucks and no one cares about you, in the most charming way possible. It is also a great way to add some art to a dorm residence, so that it doesn't look as much like a prison cell.
Materials:
-A piece of felt in the colour of your choice.
-Paint and paint brush
-Cardboard
-A wooden dowel (or a stick you can find outside)
-Yarn
-Needle and Thread or hot glue
Also:
-Scissors
-Ruler
-Pen
Steps:
1) Figure out what you want to say. I made one that says “You suck”, my roommates said it was mean, so I made another that says “Meh.” (which you can read about
here). Other suggestions would be “Why Bother”, “Just do it. Or not”, “Whatever”. I would not recommend picking something with too many words or it will be hard to fit all of it on.
2) Cut your felt into the shape you want. For one of the banners I wanted a point at the bottom so I used a pen and ruler to mark out the shape on the back of the felt then cut it out. I folded the felt and marked the middle with a pen on the back of the felt. Then I measured 5 cm up and connected the lines to make the point I wanted.
I also folded over top of my felt over the dowel I'm using and making a mark with my pen. Then I cut the felt to make what will later become the loops at the top of the piece.
3) For this step you have two options. You can free hand and paint the words on. Or you can print what you want cut that out and use it as a stencil. If you’re going the stencil route, you dab the paint on, making sure not to move the stencil. Whatever method works best of the materials you have on hand. I would recommend putting a piece of cardboard behind your work, because the paint might leak through it and make a mess of your work space.
I did a combination of the two methods, my printer was not working at the times, so I wrote what I wanted on a piece of cardboard and cut it out to make a stencil.
4) As you wait for your banner to dry you can cut your dowel down to the right size. I would recommend it to be 3-6 cm longer then the width of your banner. To cut it, score the wood with your scissors and snap and the dowel will break to the right size. I spray painted the ends of one of the dowels but it leaked in my wood a bit more than I was expecting, so I would recommend painting it with a brush and probably letting it dry more than I did. Or leaving it the wood bare, which I did for another project and I much preferred the look.
5) Sew the felt together to make a loop for your dowel to go through, just by hand stitching the end down. If you’re not really one for sewing you can also just glue it down with some hot glue. I also stitched around the edge with my sewing machine to add some colour to the project, which you can do if your so inclined.
6) Tie the yarn to the dowels on each side of the banner. You don't really need more then a foot and half of yarn, just knot it at the base near the dowel with whatever knot your most comfortable with.
7) Hang it up and enjoy!! Feel the demodivation!
If you make this, be sure to let me know in the comments, or post a photo on instagram and tag me (
@chipkeycreations).
Note: If you live in residence, use tape or one of those removable plastic hooks to attach your banner. I don’t want you to be getting in trouble for putting nails in your walls, also because your walls are most likely concrete and that does not lend itself to being nailed.
