Inside: How to make a fabric mirror with Mod Podge decoupage.

I forgot about this mirror. I picked it up from a charity shop last year for the bargain price of £3. The oval shape of the frame was lovely, but I wasn’t keen on the dark wood.

It had sat in the back loft, unloved. When I stumbled upon it the other day, I was suddenly inspired. I wanted to give the mirror a decoupaged fabric makeover.

Creating A Stunning Patchwork Fabric Mirror

I have never shied away from colour. My mother is always the most colourfully dressed woman in the room. Her interior home style reflected this. This love of colour seems to have rubbed off on me. I particularly love the striking pinks, blues and greens favoured by the interior design house Designers Guild.

For many years, a very good friend of mine was a textile designer for the Designers Guild. She used to pass on lots of their fabulous fabric scraps to me for my crafting.

I dug out the bag of Designers Guild fabric scraps and a few others, I’d collected over the years. I sorted them into the colours I wanted for this Mod Podge fabric upcycle.

The fabric scraps were mainly from upholstery fabric. But you can use craft fabric scraps for patchwork. Upcycled fabric scraps from old clothes, such as patterned blouses and shirts, are also suitable for Mod Podge fabric decoupage.

This project is what I call a double upcycle. Not only is the mirror upcycled, but it is done by upcycling other materials, such as fabric scraps. It featured in the A to Z of clever upcycling ideas.

We’re a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What you need

• Old mirror or any other frame you’d like to upcycle. The oval mirror I used is quite a common one. I picked it up at my local charity shop very cheaply.
• Fabric scraps can be upholstery, craft fabrics, or even cut-up old shirts. You can easily buy bundles of scrap fabric online too.
• Fabric Mod Podge
• Rotary cutter and mat.
• Scrap paper, pen, and scissors.
• Velvet ribbon to match your fabric scraps.
• Sewing Pins

DIY Mod Podge Fabric Mirror frame

Step 1: Clean the mirror frame with soap and water and leave it to dry. Make sure that it is dust-free too. Cover the glass part of the mirror with newspaper and masking tape. This protects it from glue spills while Mod Podging the fabric to the frame.

Top Tip: If you use thin craft fabrics, you may want to paint the frame white first. As the dark wood may show through with lighter cotton fabrics.

Step 2: Once the mirror is prepared, gather all the fabric scraps you will use for the upcycle.

The patchwork mirror frame had a colour theme. I used just fabric scraps that were pink or red. I laid these pieces of fabric onto the mirror frame to see how they would look. Some I cut up into smaller pieces to fit in with the design. I was ready to Mod Podge the fabric when I was happy with the arrangement.

Step 3: I cut my fabric pieces with a rotary cutter and mat to get a neat edge.

Step 4: I pasted the fabric’s wrong side and the mirror frame with Mod Podge. Then I stuck the fabric to the frame, one piece at a time.
 
Make sure that the edge of the fabric touches the mirror glass. Press the fabric pieces into the groves of the mirror frame.

Don’t worry if there is a bit of overhang on the outside of the mirror; this can just be tucked under and glued to the base.

Step 5: If your mirror frame is curved like mine, you must create a pattern template for the curves.

To do this, lay down a scrap piece of paper where the fabric will be placed and then mark the shape with a pen. Then cut out this shape and use it as a template for the next piece of scrap fabric.

Step 6: Make paper patterns for the rest of the frame’s curves. Then decoupage fabric around the edge until it is covered.

Step 7: When the whole frame is covered, turn over the mirror and stick down the excess fabric overlap.

Step 8: Finally, remove the newspaper and neaten up the inside edge of the Mod Podge fabric. To do this, glue a velvet ribbon around the inside edge. Holding it in place with pins as the glue dries.

(By the way, that isn’t a crack in my mirror, it’s the reflection of my washing line.)

The colours of the mirror go well in my lounge. It matches my gorgeous sweater felt rug, which I made earlier in the year and with the Kaffe Fasset decoupaged fabric vase.

There is a tutorial for the fabric flowers next to the mirror here.

Upcycling Mirror Frames in Other Materials

I love how this mirror turned out and the colourful patchwork, but I also think it would look good in the denim patchwork. If you are looking for more ideas, check out these IKEA mirror hacks.

There are a lot of upcycled denim projects in my home. I can use this technique to decoupage a mirror with my old jeans. I’ve upcycled small photo frames in denim before.

Wallpaper is another excellent upcycling resource. The old IKEA mirror was updated with tropical wallpaper to add colour to a rather dull hallway in my home.

Wood can look great decoupaged with paper napkins. The best thing about napkins, they come in many unique colours and designs. I’ve even decoupaged a whole wooden tabletop with paper napkins. This hangs on my wall like a piece of art.

Check out these other cool adult decoupage projects.

 
For other fabulous mirror ideas, visit DIYideacenter.com.