sack hack

Feed and coffee sacks...grain and flour bags, I love them all. Finding a new and beautiful use for something that originated only for utilitarian purposes is totally satisfying. Now when I say beautiful, I know it's a matter of opinion. Natural burlap with nice printed graphics happens to be an aesthetic that really appeals to me. I've always found letters and numbers in different fonts to be visually stimulating. When I was planning the window installation for Mama Goose, I knew I wanted to try to get a hold of some coffee sacks for a back drop or stage cover. I contacted our local coffee roastery, Gimme!*, and asked what they did with their empty bean sacks. Turns out, they have mountains of them and were pleased to have me take a couple off their hands. After creating the window display, I had some left over. I wanted to hang one in my studio, but hanging a sack didn't feel quite right. I had been thinking of covering my bulletin board with fabric...bingo! Here's how it turned out.

Want one, too? Here's what you'll need:


-bulletin board- I scored mine at a garage sale, but all office supply stores carry them
-staple gun
-scissors
-coffee sack... try calling your local roastery

MAKE

1. Cut your sack open along seam to get the largest useable piece of burlap out of it.
2. Measure your board and cut your covering with about 2-3 inches surplus around each side.
3. Position the graphic where you'd like them and secure it with a couple of thumb tacks.
4. Flip cork board over and staple burlap to back side. Don't pull taut or you will skew the graphics. I pulled it tightly the first time and regretted it. My second go at it left the letters a little wavy still, but it didn't bother me.

note: Because you're inserting staples into cork, they can pull out easily like a tack. This makes for easy re-doing, but be careful not to let any pop out before you install it on your wall.

I hung mine above my computer table this afternoon. My new inspiration board is just waiting to be filled up...but I'm also enjoying it just like this!



find a sack
make a hack
get a tack
knick knack paddy wack!

I'm sure there are other ways to make use of this wonderful resource...what are your ideas?

*note: Gimme! coffee is incredible...wonderful practices and exceptional taste. If you are a coffee lover, you really should check them out. They've been getting some sensational press and since they're our local bar and bean, I want to give them a little shout out!