Printing Monograms on Burlap

Did you know you can print on burlap, just using your printer?

This is an old post, from 2014, long before I even knew what a Cricut machine was.  But even n w that I own a cricut, this is still a fun project.  

After my little living room rearrangement, I have been looking for an accent pillow, but haven't found anything I loved.Then I saw something like this on groupon.  I think it was groupon - I am not even sure.  But it was something like this:

Wouldn't that make a great accent pillow?

So I googled how I'd monogram burlap, expecting ideas involving stencils and paint.

No.  Even better.  I found where someone had simply attached burlap to card stock using spray adhesive, and ran it through their printer.  Their PRINTER!!

Could it really be that simple?

Before the burlap craze hit, I found burlap coffee bags at Surplus City in Williamsport (my favorite store.  Ever.) for 25 cents each  I bought a few of them having no idea what I'd do with them, but loving them.  I was glad I had them when we were using our garage for the wedding rehearsal dinner here at the house.. I used them for curtains, to cover garage windows that were broken.  Burlap bags and drop cloths saved the day on that last minute change of plans...

Anyway, I cut a piece from one of them today, and then since I didn't have spray adhesive, I coated the card stock in glue from a glue stick, then used a cold iron to press it tight. 

Then I remembered that I am sort of graphically challenged.  I had no idea how I would come up with the monogram I had in my head...  so once again google to the rescue, and I found this tutorial:

http://www.pitterandglink.com/2014/05/diy-personalized-wedding-gift-using.html   She walks you through it step by step in Pic Monkey.  So simple that even I could do this.  :-)

Today of course, I'd just use an svg, or create something in Design Space.  Here's a tutorial for how to make a split monogram in Design Space:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2018/12/making-split-monograms-in-cricut-design.html

Instead of creating thin black rectangles, I just used the option to add a black border (color one) when I made the rectangle across the monogram letter.

Choosing fonts took me a long time.  I finally settled on:

Backspace for the Initial

De Walpergen Pica for our name

EcuyuerDAX for the Est.

Next I attempted to place my card stock topped in burlap in the printer - and it wouldn't fit.    The card stock was wider than my paper feed.  Ok, trim it down a bit more.

Under my printer settings I unchecked the box "fit to page" and I chose the 8x10, instead of 8.5 x 11.5 option.  I didn't want this to print too close to the edge.  I could have placed the graphic in a word document and resized it with larger margins that way too, then printed from there.

I hit print - and got the message "out of paper".  Uh huh, I figured, this was too good to be true... so I hit "ok" and this came spitting out of the printer.  I'm amazed!  The cardstock peeled easily off the back.