Jute Calendar

A calendar made of jute?  That's right!
After seeing this Erasable Dinner Menu Frame made by Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming, I was inspired to make this...

The most important tools to complete this project are time and patience.
Other than that, you'll need jute, a frame with mat {mine is matted to 11"x14"}, tape, a pencil, scissors, a glue gun, and a dry erase marker.

Here's the how to...


Trace.
Take apart the frame and trace the inside of your mat onto the cardboard inside the frame.

Do the math.
Mark out 7 equal vertical columns (for the days) and 5 equal horizontal rows (for the weeks).
{mine worked out to 1 7/8" sections across and 2 1/8" down}

Snip the string.
Cut the jute into pieces about an inch larger than the inside dimensions of your mat.
A good way to cut large amounts of string is to cut one piece to size.  Then use that as a guide, folding the string back and forth along that guide.  Once you have several measured out, cut the loops at the ends.

Stick to it.
With a piece of tape face up, stick on the ends of the jute.  The type of tape doesn't really matter since it will just temporarily hold the pieces in place.

Line 'em up.
Line the string up with the tracing of the mat and stick down.  Determine how many strings it will take to cover each section that you measured out.  {Mine required 15 strings per vertical column and 16 strings per horizontal row} 

All bundled up.
Count out the number of strings for each section and wrap a piece of tape around the end of each bundle.  This is just to keep the sections separate and will be removed later.

Start in the corner.
Once you have string taped along 1 long side and 1 short side (like an 'L'), you're ready to start weaving.

Starting in the corner, line up your pieces of jute from one section and glue each one down to the cardboard.



Continue on... and on... and on.
Overlap the next section, securing each strand with glue.  Continue on, weaving the sections over and under each other.  {once I got in my groove, I was gluing 3 or 4 strands at a time}  Remove the tape as needed.


Put it all together.
Reassemble the frame, putting in the glass, mat, then cardboard with the weaved jute.  I painted the old frame for a fresh new look.

I think it looks quite nice just plain.  Writing on the glass with a dry erase marker turns it into a calendar, a message board, or anything your imagination can come up with.

Now, we're all ready for the month of May!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments or feel free to email me at andrea.brand.art@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm sharing this with...


Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors
Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Craft and Tell Tuesday at Cherished Bliss
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at Delightful Order
Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma
Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello
VIP Party at Designer Garden
Lovely Crafty Weekend at Lovely Crafty Home
Your Whims Wednesday at My Girlish Whims
Terrific Under Ten Tuesday at At Home With K
Sunburnt Cow Link Party
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors