DIY Ombre Letterboard

The following post is sponsored by Aleene’s

It’s pretty safe to say that we’ve all been a little obsessed with letterboards lately, and I’m definitely one of the many. These felt vintage-inspired letterboards allow you to display fun little sayings, and even though I knew I HAD to have one, I decided it would be more fun to make one for myself. This DIY ombre letterboard is inspired by the Aleene’s brand, set inside a gold painted frame with an ombre pattern of purple felt. I promptly spent an hour after finishing this project arranging and rearranging letters to make goofy sayings! 

This letterboard was no easy feat. It is more time consuming that a lot of the projects I share here, but it was SO worth it. 

With my Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Glue and Tacky Glue, it still took less than an hour to make this unique ombre letterboard. I’ve seen quite a few DIYs for making your own letterboards using a variety of techniques, but I found that using square dowels as a base for the letterboard was the most effective. 

Time: 45 minutes

Supplies: 

• Felt, 4-5 different shades of color
• Frame, 1 inch depth or more*
• 1/4-inch square wooden dowels, cut to size of frame
• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Glue
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue
• Credit card, gift card or similar
• 1-inch letterboard letters
• Scissors

* I recommend this frame style because it has the ideal “lip” for placing the dowels.

Note, before beginning, cut about 3/4-inch square dowels to the size of the inside of the frame. You will need 30-34 pieces to fill an 8 x 10-inch frame. The wood is soft enough that you may be able to cut it with a craft knife. 

Step 1: Remove the backing of the photo frame and set aside. Place frame front side-down on a flat surface. 

Step 2: Apply Tacky Glue to the inside “lip” of the frame. Place the pre-cut dowels on top and space about 1/8-inch apart. 

Step 3: Repeat with all of the dowels spaced very close together inside of the frame. Once you’ve glued several in, insert a letterboard character to ensure spacing is correct. Let the glue dry until sturdy.

Step 4: Measure the open area of the frame. In this case, it was 9 1/2 inches wide. Cut the various shades of felt to the same width using scissors or a rotary cutter. 

Step 5: Once the dowels are securely in place, turn the frame right side-up. Starting with the darkest shade, apply Fabric Fusion Glue to the top dowel and smooth the felt on top. 

Step 6: With a credit card or similar, gently press the felt into the crevices between the dowels and up against the tops and side of the frame. 

The first few are the most difficult. It becomes easier and much faster as you go. 

Step 7: For most accurate results, measure the length of the open area of the frame and divide it by the number of shades of felt to determine how often to switch colors. In this case, every 2 1/4 inch. When you’re ready to switch colors, maneuver the felt all the way through the crevice between the next dowel and cut away excess.

Step 8: Pick up where you left off when the next piece of felt. Apply glue and leave excess felt to press through the crevice and continue the pattern until the letterboard is full. 

Step 9: Insert the backing of the frame back in place and add letters for displaying around the house!

Honestly, this is probably one of my favorite projects to date!

Thank you to Aleene’s for generously sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. Please note this post may contain affiliate links from which I may collect a small profit should you choose to make a purchase. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Club Crafted sharing!