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Embroidered Switch Plate Cover

Flipping on the light switch will be a de-lightful experience with this pretty covered switch plate.

So simple to do, you can make one for every room. You can bet everyone in the whole family will be asking for one of their own to spiff up a room of their own.

This is a fast and frugal project! Switch plates, which come in neutral white and beige, cost less than a quarter at the local home improvement store, and this is a terrific way to use those small pieces of fabric that are just piling up in your scrap box.

A few simple tools are all you'll need to make a plain old switch plate extra special.

Supplies needed:

Fabric scrap of your choice Switch plate with screws Screwdriver Hobby knife Tweezers Glue gun and glue sticks

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

Switch Plate Designs

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Instructions:

Sew out the embroidery design so that there is at least one inch of fabric outside the edges of the embroidery.

Lay the switch plate over the embroidery, lining up the center rectangle in the embroidery with the center rectangle of the switch plate. Trace around the switch plate with an air-erase marking pen.

Using the hobby knife, cut an X in the fabric inside the center rectangle of the embroidery. Start the cuts about 1/16th of an inch away from the corners of the rectangle. Trim the stabilizer only from the inside of the rectangle.

Trim the fabric to one inch from the marked lines on all sides. Trim the stabilizer on the back of the embroidery to about the marked lines on all sides.

Lay out the embroidery piece face down, and lay the switch plate on top of it, face down.

Use the tweezers to bring the points of the small triangles through to the back of the switch plate. Glue the points in place on the back of the switch plate.

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Doing one corner at a time, place a dot of glue in the curve of the corner and bring the fabric at the corners to the back of the switch plate. Press the fabric as flat as possible on the back of the switch plate.

Now, doing one side at a time, run a bead of glue in the curve of the switch plate and bring each side of the fabric to the back of the switch plate. again, press the fabric as flat as you can to the back of the switch plate.

Trim the excess fabric from the back of the switch plate.

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Turn the covered switch plate over. Use the hobby knife to cut perpendicular slits in the two small circles. The screws will go through the slits to screw the switch plate to the wall.

Now, turn the power to the light switch OFF before you replace the switch plate. Removing the switch plate may be unsafe if you don't turn off the electricity.

After the electricity is OFF, Unscrew the two screws that hold the old switch plate to the wall.

Remove the old plate, and place the new plate over the switch. Insert the screws through the designated holes and screw the plate to the wall in the same way the old switch plate was attached.

Turn the power back on, and enjoy your fancy new switch plate!

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.

You’ll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon below.

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