How to make a Magnetic Canvas (picture heavy)

After posting this post on the Studio Calico blog about the Footnotes add-on from the Bibliography kit, I got a lot of requests for info on making magnetic canvases. When I told my husband about it, Steve demanded a chance to do a pictorial so that he could share a couple of tips on making one. And since he made the first one for me, I figured I'd better let him. haha.

I'm renovating. And when I say I'm renovating, what I really mean is that I'm taking a house that we should have shoveled aside and trying to make it my dream house. The key to this renovation is this sweet boy right here:

I swear to pete this man can do anything! His dad was a contractor back in the day, but I don't know how he could have taught Steve all of the skill that he has. Basically, if you give him a project, he can do it. That's why we bought this stinkin' ugly house. lol. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION...... house. Someday I'll love it. I'm not sharing a photo of it anywhere until it's done though. It's just so dang ugly. And I can't work on the outside until we are finished with the inside.

This is my mud room floor. Steve did the tile. Of course. Isn't it pretty? I will say that I love my mud room floor. We're slowly working on it.... this mud room used to be a single car garage. Now it has a pretty floor and a really pretty front load washer and dryer. lol.

I interrupted a day of interior trim to photograph him making me another canvas. We have a wood shop set up and he's been busy trimming pine for door and floor trim that will be replacing everything that's inside. That's 2200 square feet of trim, so I have a busy boy.

Okay, on to the canvas.

Steve has a couple of initial tips when making these canvases.

First. I bought the canvases in a two-pack on sale at Michaels. So any canvas will work.

Second. Metal sheeting. This is what you need to make your canvas magnetic. When you go to your local home improvement store, please don't go to the section where they sell the craft stuff. You will pay far too much money if you buy your metal sheeting in that section. Instead, go back to the heat ducting section, and buy flat sheets back there. This is the sticker on the back of the sheet we used:

The other things you need are:
gloves
tin snips
ruler
marking pencil

Steve suggests you insert your magnetic sheeting before you create your project on your canvas. The cutting and fitting process makes the sheeting very sharp which can tear the canvas. He'd hate for you to make a beautiful project and then to ruin it with a great big gash from a piece of metal sheeting. So I think this is a good tip. lol

The first thing you need to do when you are ready to go is to measure your canvas. In this case, my canvas was 16x20.

We wanted it to be magnetic as close to the edge as possible, so he trimmed it just short of 20 inches in the width.



Steve used tin snips here. When you are trimming be sure to wear your gloves. The cutting process curls the edge of the sheeting a wee bit which makes it very sharp.

For the height of the first sheet, he trimmed it just short of the opening in the back of the canvas.

After you have trimmed your piece, insert one side in the opening.

To fit the rest of the sheet inside the canvas, you will need to bow out the sheeting to fit it in the opening. Be sure to do so carefully so that you don't tear the fabric.

After you have fit the sheet in, slowly maneuver the sheet until you have slid it as far up as you can so that the magnet reaches as much of the top and side edges as it can.

After it's set, measure the size you'll need for the second piece.


After you have fit it in just as you did the first sheet, do the same and slide it carefully to the outside edges.

When you are finished, take packing tape to cover those sharp edges and keep the two pieces of sheeting in place.

Voila! A magnetic canvas.

For my canvas, I made Morgan a place to display her artwork. She's been using all of my scotch tape, hanging her latest drawing in her room or on the walls above her art table. I have plans for more canvases, but this first one is in her room next to her bed.

(Out for publication in Simply Handmade. Be back soon!)

I used Cosmo Cricket blackboard and the coordinating stickers for my magnets. It doesn't get any easier than that!

Let me know if you have any questions! Also, please share if you make a canvas. I have 2 more blank canvases finished and waiting for their final place. My current plan is to turn Prima Pebbles into magnets and use them at Morgan's art table, or in my kitchen area for school calendars and the grocery list, etc.

Have a great day! Davinie