Manage Your Life

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Make it! A cool clock



I thought this d.i.y. up over the weekend for my newsletter and can hardly wait to pick up the ingredients. Inspired by a canvas grandfather clock I had seen here (thanks Fiona), I came up with a smaller version that you can make yourself pretty easily I would think. Here's the how-to:

Supplies Needed:

1 illustration of a clock fotosearch.com (8.5" x 11")
1 t-shirt transfer avery.com
1 canvas cloth or (preferably just the cloth so you can iron onto it and then stretch it onto a frame) opusframing.com
or 1 framed canvas (this will just be trickier) opusframing.com
1 frame for canvas (if you go the cloth way) opusframing.com
1 clock mechanism kit michaels.com

Instructions:

1. Download a clock illustration you like from one of the great image banks out there (this one is from fotosearch.com) or scan one in from an old book if you like. (Try to make sure the hands are not on the face, or photoshop them out if you have to).
2. Print it onto a t-shirt transfer
3. Iron the transfer onto the canvas.
4. Stretch canvas onto the wood frame unless of course you have a pre-framed one (just trickier).
5. Attach the clock mechanism to the place where the clock hands should be.
6. Voila! A cool new clock you made!


Related Links from Poppytalk

Affordable Art Guide: Find beautiful pieces for your wall under $100

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Poppytalk Handmade: A monthly online marketplace curated by Poppytalk to showcase, buy and sell handmade goods of emerging design talent from around the world.
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From the Community…

Comments 1-3 of 3
  • Devonia's Avatar
    Posted by Devonia Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:21am PDT

    It sounds like an intriguing "knock-off" of the original canvased clock; however I'm immediately concerned about how the canvas might "sag" from the weight of the clock mechanism, attached through the back. This is the mechanism that houses the the weight of the battery as well. It's difficult to fail to foresee potential problems in this. Once you actually complete the project, please follow up and let us know if it turns out the fabric must be reinforced from the back to prevent this unsightly sag from occurring, either immediately or over a time span, or if it is no problem at all. I'm an artist and it is my experience that stretched canvas can immediately show problems from something as simple as being placed so that another object for an hour or two, causing an impression or indentation. We have to be very careful how we store stretched canvases for this reason. Sometimes we can save a stretched canvas that has lost his flat, taut shape by completely wetting and drying with hair dryer - but all of this can be a problem. I don't think I would want to try it until I "know". Great idea! Do let us know how it turns out? A photo of the actual finished piece would be a treat!

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  • Valerie Rains, Shine staff's Avatar
    Posted by Valerie Rains, Shine staff Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:45pm PDT

    I once made a clock out of an old French laundry detergent box (cardboard) with a device like this, and it turned out fine...I did use strong tape to stick the clock device to the inside of the box, though, to help distribute its weight better and avoid the droop.

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  • Devonia's Avatar
    Posted by Devonia Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:27am PDT

    Valerie: That's exactly what I was wondering about; a way to prevent the droop. If a cardboard box droops, we know that canvas will. I remembered embroidery hoop clocks that were made by inserting the clock works through country calico fabrics that were stretched in the hoops. However, thinking about this idea and those is comparing apples to oranges - the calico fabric was reinforced by quilting. The only way I can think of to retain the contemporary styling is muslin trapunta; but, I'm still afraid that it might lose it. I'm genuinely smitten with the idea though. I would love to see how this works out - Your French detergent box clock blows me away! For a mud room?!?!? Ahhhhhhh... Do you have a photo? *admission* Though, I'm soooo visual - my imagination does a pretty good job with the detergent box.

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Comments 1-3 of 3

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