Wall Decor Tapestry

wall decor tapestry

I was in a friends dorm room and he had a big decorative cloth on the wall....what is it called??

I mean like it wasn't heavy or big in fancy it reminded me of a sarong type mateial and it was like a big sun that u see in some decor with the moons and stuff.....he called it a tapestry but I thought tapestry is like rugs for the floor. I wanna get one to cover a bookshelf that is built into a wall in my room but I dont know what it is called. Or if u have any other ideas on how to cover this ceiling to floor book shelf i would really appreciate it.

A tapestry historically was a large, heavy, needlepointed fabric picture - often the weight of a rug - but was hung on the wall as a picture (in past centuries, it also served as a room warmer, since there was no such thing as insulation and wealthy and noble homess often had walls of stone or brick).

Today, a tapestry can be any fabric wall hanging. In fact, that is what they are often callled: fabric wall hangings. However, you can easily make one yourself; yours not only can be made to fit exactly the width and height of your built-in book shelf, but can reflect your style and taste. At a fabric store, select a fairly sturdy fabric as wide or wider than your bookshelf, and buy as many yards as you need for the height of the bookshelf. Denim is a good choice, but you could also use burlap or even a patterned chintz. In some fabric stores, you will also see a selection of upholstery fabrics, any of which should be heavy enough for your purposes.

You may need to cut it to the exact width, but allow an inch or so at each side for a hem. Whether or not you sew, you probably do not have a sewing machine at your college, so buy something called 'iron-on' or 'fusible' hemming tape. Fold over the extra inch at each side, place the tape between the fold-over and the back of the fabric and, following directions on the tape package, iron. Voila, a neat hem for both sides. For the top and bottom you also need hems. Make a top hem exactly the way you did the side hems. For the bottom hem, the fold-over needs to be an inch-and-a-half or so; you want to leave a little loop at the bottom to insert a small round stick called a 'dowel' that you can get at a hardware store and have them cut it to exactly the width of your bookcase and wall hanging. This dowel rod will give a little weight to your hanging so it hangs straight and doesn't wrinkle or curl. Now, to attach, you'll need some glue-on Velcro tape; cut a strip of one side of the tape the width of your bookcase, pull off the backing paper, and 'glue' it onto the top crosspiece of your bookcase; likewise 'glue' the other side of the Velcro to the back of your wall hanging, get on a stool, and press your fabric back strip to the strip on the bookcase and your done!

When you're at the fabric store, look at the many choices in iron-on appliques. You can be as fanciful as you like by ironing these on your wall hanging. However, if you've chosen an upholstery fabric, it may already have enough pattern for you, and presumably you've chosen colors and a style that suits you and the rest of your room decor. When you leave change rooms, simply separate your wall hanging at the Velcro seam. If you need to remove the strip that's on the bookcase, you can use something called 'De-Solv-it' that you can get at a hardware store; this product desolves the glue backing, and makes the tape removable. However, if you can leave the strip there, the next occupant of the room may want to use it to 'Velcro' on something to her taste.

Good luck!

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