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String art is one of those crafts that looks far harder than it is. A board, a box of nails and some yarn turn into a piece you would happily hang on the wall or give as a gift. The Hobby Lobby Creative Studio team walks through three styles in one short video: a filled-in bunny, a letter G where the string fills the background instead, and a cactus with string rays that pull your eye to the middle. Most pieces take under an hour.
| Style | What gets string | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Silhouette | The shape itself | Animals, hearts, states |
| Negative space | Everything around the shape | Letters, initials, names |
| Focal point | Straight rays from a border to a shape | Sunbursts, flowers, stars |
Any board at least half an inch thick works: a wood slice, a pallet-style sign or a scrap of pine. Thin plywood can split. Pick nails with heads so the string cannot slip off, and long enough that about half an inch shows above the wood. Worsted weight yarn fills quickly and hides small gaps. Embroidery floss gives a finer, more delicate look but takes longer to fill.
Print a simple shape at the size you want, cut it out and tape it down. Bold outlines with few skinny parts are easiest. For letters or detailed shapes, leave the paper whole and nail straight through it, then tear it away. That is what the video does for the letter G, and it keeps every curve in place.
Hammering is a grown-up job for little ones, but the stringing is perfect for small hands. Set the nails yourself, then let them choose the colors and wind the yarn. Older kids can hammer with a lightweight tack hammer while you hold the nail with pliers. A finished piece with their name on it makes a proud bedroom sign.
If nails lean, the wood is too soft or you are hitting off center. Hold them with pliers and tap gently. If the outline looks wavy when you wanted it smooth, you switched wrapping direction. Go clockwise around every nail. If a nail punches through the back, use shorter nails or a thicker board.
A child's initial for a bedroom door, a heart for a wedding, a home state for a new neighbor, or a pumpkin for fall. Pair string art with other yarn crafts like a yarn pom pom or a tassel hanging from the corner. For more wall decor, try a macrame wall hanging, or add a wood burned name to the board before you start.
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How to make string art with wood, nails and yarn. An easy project: about 1 hour. Materials cost about $10 to $25. You need 8 things, including wood slice or board, nails with heads and yarn or embroidery floss. The 10 steps start with tape the String Art Template to the Wood, hammer Nails Around the String Art Outline, hold String Art Nails Steady With Pliers and wrap the Yarn Around the String Art Outline.
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Cut out your template and lay it where you want the design on the wood. Tape it down at several points so it cannot shift while you hammer. The Hobby Lobby team uses a bunny on an oval wood slice. Any simple shape with a clear outline works. Center it by eye, or measure from the edges if you want it exact.
Lightly trace around the template in pencil too, in case it tears partway through.
Tap nails in right along the edge of the template, spaced evenly. Use nails with heads, which stop the string slipping off later. Put them closer together on tight curves and farther apart on straight runs. Keep every nail at the same height. It looks better and makes the stringing go much faster.
Tap lightly and check the depth often so no nail punches out the back of the board.
In tight spots, grip each nail with needle nose pliers while you hammer. The pliers keep it straight and keep your fingers out of the way. This matters most on small details like the bunny's ears or the inside of a letter. When all the nails are in, tear away the paper template.
Lay the pliers flat on the template to set the same nail height every time.
Tie the yarn to any nail, leaving a short tail you can tuck in later. Work all the way around the outline, looping the string once around every nail. Keep the tension tight and even, and push the yarn down toward the wood as you go. For a smooth edge, always wrap clockwise. Alternating directions gives a wavy edge instead.
Pick whichever edge you like. Neither is wrong, but stay consistent.
With the outline done, stretch the yarn from nail to nail across the shape, crisscrossing in every direction. Use each nail as many times as you like. Make the fill as light or as dense as you want. A dense fill reads as a solid shape from across the room, and a sparse one looks airy and modern.
Step back now and then to spot thin areas, then cross those a few more times.
When the shape is filled, tie the yarn around a nail with a double knot. Trim the end and tuck the tail into the design so it disappears, and do the same with the starting tail. Your silhouette string art is done. Add a sawtooth hanger on the back, or stand it on a shelf or small easel.
A dab of clear glue on the knot keeps it from working loose over time.
For the negative space style, the string fills the area around your shape. Leave the letter template whole and nail straight through the paper around the outline. That keeps detailed curves in place. Then add a row of nails around the edge of the board as a border, and pull the paper away.
Letters read best when they are big. Aim to fill at least two thirds of the board.
Outline the letter and the border with yarn, the same way as the bunny. Then crisscross the yarn between the letter's outline and the border, filling the background. The bare wood inside the letter is now the design. Finish with a knot and hide the tail. It works well for initials and short names.
A whitewashed or painted board makes the bare letter stand out even more.
The focal point style uses straight, even lines from an outer border to an inner shape, like sun rays. Do not start at any old nail. Begin at one edge so you can work smoothly all the way around to the other side. Run the yarn back and forth between the circle and the cactus outline.
Keep every ray straight and parallel to its neighbors. That is what makes the pattern pop.
The cactus has fewer nails than the outer circle. To keep the rays evenly spaced, wrap two or three times around some cactus nails while wrapping each outside nail only once. When you reach the far side, tie off and hide the tail. The finished sunburst draws the eye right to the cactus.
Count the nails on both outlines first, so you can plan where to double up.
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How to Make String Art: Silhouette, Negative Space and Sunburst
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E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
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