Monday, June 4, 2012

DIY Drop Cloth Grill Cover

If it doesn’t move, grill it. That’s my summer cooking mantra. Vegetables, fruit, meat, and fish are all fair game when it comes to grilling.

LOLCat grill cover
Learn how I stenciled this grill cover with help from my friends at Plaid Crafts.

A few Christmases ago, we got a gas grill upgrade and a cover to protect it from Ohio winters.

Two years later the grill looks great.

The grill cover does not. 


ripped grill cover
Mother Nature is the reason we do not have nice things.


Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a grill cover that was not made of vinyl. As a green gal I'm not thrilled with vinyl to put it nicely. And if I had to go with not environmentally friendly vinyl as a last resort I want one that is sturdy and last forever so I don't have to replace it because the remains of my ripped grill cover are going to last forever in the landfill. I could not find anything remotely sturdier (or nicer looking) than the grill cover Mother Nature trashed.  I don’t want to send countless vinyl grill covers to the landfill every two years. Going without isn’t an option if I want my grill to survive winter. Part of our green practices is to take care of our stuff so we don't have to spend extra resources replacing it. That practice saves money too - a twofor!

You know what’s coming next.


How to Make a Canvas Drop Cloth Gas Grill Cover


stenciled canvas drop cloth grill cover


You will need:

Scissors

Ruler

Painter’s Tape

Printed cat clip art image

Iron

Straight pins

Thread

Old grill cover to use as a pattern

Paint Brush

Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience. 
  
Make it:


1. Use the scissors to cut the old grill cover apart at the seams. You will use this as your pattern to cut the new grill cover pieces from the drop cloth.

2. Fold the drop cloth in half. Lay the pattern pieces on the drop cloth.

3.  Use the scissors to cut two grill shaped pieces for the front and back of the grill cover and one rectangle piece for the top and sides of the grill cover.


grill cover pattern
Cut two.

4. Use the ruler and pencil to draw straight lines to use as a guide for your stenciled letters if desired. I am taking my decoration inspiration from one of my favorite I Can Haz Chezeburger LOLs.


5. Trace where I want the stenciled letters to appear on the grill cover because I am bad at eye balling stencil spacing and placement with paint.


cardboard stencils

6. Make the cat stencil by placing the cat artwork underneath the freezer paper, tracing around the design with a pencil. Use a craft knife to cut the stencil out.

freezer paper stencil
 Meow

7. Iron the freezer paper cat stencil shiny side down to the drop cloth with a warm iron.

freezer paper stencil
My iron was too hot and wrinkled the freezer paper too much. Don’t be me.

8. Repeat Steps 4 – 7 for the other side of the grill cover.

9. Stencil time! Tape the cardboard letter stencils to the drop cloth with painters tape. Place the paint dauber caps on the paint bottles.

paint stenciling supplies


10. Stencil it! Lightly dab the stencils and canvas with paint. It is better to do several light passes of paint than one thick pass of paint or the paint may seep under the stencil (guess how I know?) Carefully remove the stencil from the letter while the paint is still wet. 

Tip: To keep the project moving. I painted every other letter in the words. When I finished with the sentence, the stenciled letters were dry enough to allow me to stencil the letter next to it without smudging the paint.

11. Use the same dabbing technique to paint the cat stencil.

painted freezer paper stencil
 Who's a pretty kitty?

12. Carefully peel the freezer paper stencil from the drop cloth while the paint is still wet. Optional: Stencil cheeseburger loving hearts around your kitty. I used a Plaid Martha Stewart Craft stencil I already had for the happy hearts.

stenciled cat
 Kitty cheeseburger love!

13. After the paint is thoroughly dry, use the straight pins to pin the center section to the front and back sections of the grill cover right sides together (the painted part) using your old grill cover as a guide.

14. Use the sewing machine and thread to sew the grill cover together removing the straight pins as you sew.

15. Turn the grill cover right side out and water proof the painted design with Outdoor Mod Podge. Allow the Mod Podge to dry.

16. Cover up that grill and dare Mother Nature to BRING IT ON!

drop cloth grill cover
  I can haz sturdy and cool canvas drop cloth grill cover.

If you'd rather buy than DIY check out the following options - and more! - below!


17 comments:

Heather - Dollarstorecrafts.com said...

Great job - i love the LOLcat factor! And, I can't wait to see what you do with the woodburning tools!

Walter Silva said...

Nice Post and like the step by step process!

reFresh reStyle said...

I would have never thought of a grill cover, it looks awesome!

Unknown said...

Lisa I really love this! So funny! I'm a huge LOL cat fan - I have an "I can has awesomes" t-shirt!

Anonymous said...

functional and crafty and fun!
Sue Clarke

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

Husband and I can't walk past the patio door without saying I luv u cheezburger macheeeeeeeeeeeen. The same thing goes when we pass a Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurant.

Esther Asbury said...

This is just what I'm needing today! Our grill cover was whipped about by an East Coast wind, and then there are the kittens that are poking holes in the new one! Bookmarking this.....thanks for sharing!

Melissa @ No. 2 Pencil said...

This is so funny! Love it!

Anonymous said...

OMGosh!! I LOVE IT!!!! I am an LOLcat addict! LOL

Mary said...

Love the LOLcat cover! My first big laugh-out-loud of the day. Thanks, Lisa!

Unknown said...

I love this. Though at my house, it would need to be "I can has a hotdog?" Thanks for sharing on Tout It Tuesday!

Eco Friendly Home Products said...

I think you've just made Martha Stewart very proud. You've thought of a creative way to cover your "cheezeburger macheeeeeen". I'm so loving the cat design, but I think it would've been much nicer if you've added a bit of color to it to liven it up. :)

Jess_LyMi said...

Totally adorable and the cutest grill cover ever!

xo, Jess
http://thedelightfulcrafter.blogspot.com

Brandie said...

That is awesome! I love it! =)

candy @ Mommypalooza said...

this is great! our grill cover bit the dust YEARS ago!!

xo,
candy @ Mommypalooza

TheSewingLoft said...

This is great! Love that Cheezeburger Macheen!

Unknown said...

I'm one of the co-hosts of the Summer Fun party you linked up to this summer and wanted to say thanks for linking up there! I also wanted to let you know I've featured this project on my blog this evening, you can go check it out if you'd like and grab a "Featured" button :)
http://www.justalittlecreativity.com/2012/08/take-some-summer-fun-into-fall-plus.html
-Molly

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