Tuesday Tutorial - Tichel Pin Display Frame

 Someday I hope to have an elaborate scarf storage area that meets all my needs in one handy place but until that magic day comes, I'm going to keep addressing my scarf and accessory storage needs one at a time as they become an issue.  For this tutorial, I've made a nice little cork backed tichel pin storage board.

You will need
 - an old picture frame (preferably a pretty one but if it's ugly you can always paint it)
 - some biggish pieces of scrap cardboard
 - a sheet of cork (I picked mine up as 12"X12" tiles in a 4 pack in the office supply section at Walmart)
 - Fabric (I used velvet because I had some left from the last project and it wont show the pin holes like some fabrics would)
 - Aleene's Original Tacky Glue (don't use Elmer's because it drys too hard for our purposes)

1 - Gather any old picture frames you have laying about.  (bonus points if you have picture frames with broken glass since we will be discarding the glass anyway)

 2 - Choose a picture frame that has tab closures holding the back in place like the picture frame on the right. (I preferred the picture frame on the left but since the picture slides into place rather than being held in by tabs it was not suitable for our purposes.  Learn from my mistake so you don't have to make a second trip to the Thrift Store)

3 - Disassemble your picture frame.  Discard the front glass or save it for use in another project.  There is usually something inside the picture frame that fits into the picture frame perfectly (sometimes it's a piece of cardboard, the back of the frame or the matting) that you will want to save.  Once you have determined which piece fits into the frame the best, that will become the template for your future cuts.

4 - Using your template (in my case the white mat seen above), cut a piece of the cork to the size of the frame and at least one sheet of cardboard.  Once these are cut, place them in the frame and make sure they fit snugly.  If they are loose, add an additional layer of cardboard.

5 - Because cork can be fragile and flimsy, you'll want to attach it to the sheet of cardboard with a thin layer of Aleene's Glue.  Use a sponge or your finger to "paint" the glue into a thin sheet rather than the thick cords laid down by the glue bottle.  Once you've glued the cork and cardboard together, weight them down with several heavy books and let them dry for 40 min to an hour.

6 - While you are waiting for the glue to dry on the cork, you can cut out your fabric.  Using your template from earlier, cut the fabric about 1 inch larger on all sides than the template.  Then trim the corners off like shown above.

7 - When the glue between the cork and cardboard is sufficiently dry, add another even thinner layer of Aleene's to the front of the cork paying special attention to the edges.  With your fabric "nice" side down on the table, carefully place your cork sheet glue side down onto the fabric.

8 - Use heavy books to weight and flatten your fabric/cord/cardboard sandwich while it is drying (30 min -1 hr)

9 - glue the edges of the cardboard backing and fold the edges of the fabric onto the glue 

10 - Carefully fit your fabric/cork/cardboard sandwich into the picture frame (be gentle because it should be a tight fit) and use the tabs to secure the frame closed.

11 - TADA!!!! Your Tichel Pin Display is done!!  Now all you have to do is hang it on your wall and start poking it with pins.