Quick and Easy Display Board
If you’re like most of the Textile People I know, you have a huge variety of interests, and end up volunteering for events that educate people about them. It’s becomes easy to spend all your time on volunteering instead of actually pursuing your interests. Today while putting together a butterfly information exhibit, I figured out some shortcuts that I thought might be useful to other volunteers or educators. I hope I can save you some time and money that you can then spend on yourself!
My display is going to be outdoors at a Pollinator Fest, so I wanted it to stand on its own, and be able to withstand a little weather. First I thought I would mount photos on foam core, but that would easily blow over, and any rain would ruin it. Also I didn’t have any, and I had already been to the store twice this week, and I hate to go to the store.
I did have some blank canvases for painting, so I used those. They don’t cost much more than foam core, and they’re heavier. I printed the photos and put them into plastic page protectors. Then I sprayed the backs with quilt basting spray and quickly stuck them to the canvas. (It’s holding great so far, but I have some foam mounting squares I will take along just in case it comes loose tomorrow. )
I used quilt basting spray to affix photos to a canvas
When the pictures were all mounted, I stapled 3 pipe cleaners to the wooden frames on the backs of the canvases. When I stood the canvases up, I twisted the pipe cleaners together to make hinges, and I now have a sort of triptych.
I stapled pipe cleaners to the frame and twisted them together as hinges
The finished display is stable, weather-resistant, and reuseable.
I also used the basting spray to cover cardboard with fabric, for a background for a donation sign. I think it looks pretty good, and I should be able to re-use all the supplies when the event is over. I hope these ideas come in handy – if you volunteer for an event, claim the display job and whip up some displays with no stress!
