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Craft Tutorials | Adult Crafts | Home Decor Projects | Wisconsin State String Art
Home Decor Projects

Wisconsin State String Art

Author by Amanda Davis on January 13, 2017 Updated on November 11, 2019

5 from 6 votes
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I live in southeast Wisconsin, very close to the Illinois border, right in the heart of Bear/Packer country. In fact, when I hit the grocery store on Sundays I see plenty of people wearing both green & gold and blue & orange. Anyone who watches football knows that the Chicago Bears and the Green Bear Packers have a rivalry that goes way back. My niece wanted to make a gift for a friend of hers who was a Packer fan, so this green and gold Wisconsin state string art was born.

State string art makes a great gift and it's a fun craft project for adults. This one has a green and gold color scheme because the gift recipient is a Green Bay Packer fan, however stained wood and white string is a popular choice with these types of projects.

 

Wisconsin State String Art

State string art makes a great gift and it’s a fun craft project for adults. This one has a green and gold color scheme because the gift recipient is a Green Bay Packer fan, however stained wood and white string is a popular choice with these types of projects.

Create this fun state inspired string art with friends!

When Dakota came to me with this project idea she knew I had made my string art wall letters and knew what she wanted to do, she just needed some guidance. So we met at my studio to get started.

There are affiliate links in this post. That means if you buy something from that link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you anything additional.

We started by printing out a pattern of the state of Wisconsin and got to work.

Craft supplies needed to make state string art:

  • Wooden board
  • Embroidery floss
  • Small nails
  • Hammer
  • White craft glue


We started by printing out a pattern of the state of Wisconsin. Obviously an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper was not going to be big enough to cover the wood boards she had put together, so we needed to enlarge the state print out in four sections. Ince we had it the size we wanted, we taped all of the pieces together.

We also drew a small heart in the general area of the state where the gift recipient lives. This heart also serves as the anchor point for the strings.

Next you will position your enlarged state print out onto your wooden board. You may want to tape the edges in a few places just to hold it still while you begin adding nails.

Next you will position your enlarged state print out onto your wooden board. You may want to tape the edges in a few places just to hold it still while you begin adding nails. Hammer nails into the pattern along the state outline. Nails should be approximately 1/2-inch apart.

As you can see in the photo above we ended up extending the bottom of our state slightly.

As you can see in the photo above we ended up extending the bottom of our state slightly. This was because when we got to the bottom of the state we were off just a little with the nails. No biggie!

Next you'll need to hammer around the outline of the little heart.

Next you’ll need to hammer around the outline of the little heart.

When you're done adding nails it should look uniform and complete.

When you’re done adding nails it should look uniform and complete.

Now you will want to remove the paper state pattern from the nails. You no longer need the pattern, so don't worry if it rips.

Now you will want to remove the paper state pattern from the nails. You no longer need the pattern, so don’t worry if it rips.

Here's what it will look like once you remove the pattern.

Here’s what it will look like once you remove the pattern.

 From here you will stretch the string to a nail on the heart. Loop it around the heart nail then stretch it back to the nail next to your starting point.

Starting from the state outline nails (doesn’t matter where, just choose a starting point) tie a strand of embroidery floss to a nail and add a little glue to the knot. From here you will stretch the string to a nail on the heart. Loop it around the heart nail then stretch it back to the nail next to your starting point.

TIP: Be careful not to stretch the string too tight that your nails may bend, but make sure you keep it taught enough that it doesn’t sag.

Be careful not to stretch the string too tight that your nails may bend, but make sure you keep it taught enough that it doesn't sag.

Continue this process around the the outline of the state to the heart, back and forth. You will probably find that you need to go over nails on the heart more than once in order to keep your strings looking uniform. This is simply because there are a lot more state outline nails than there are heart nails.

Continue until you have completed the entire state. Be sure to always add glue whenever you start and end a string with a knot.

To go around the outline of the state, start wherever you ended, then work your way around the outside, wrapping once around each nail.

Allow the glue to dry completely.

Making this Wisconsin state string art was a bit time consuming but Dakota was really proud of her project when it was all done. I think it looks amazing and her friend loved the gift! Hope you enjoyed this project too.

Making this Wisconsin state string art was a bit time consuming but Dakota was really proud of her project when it was all done. I think it looks amazing and her friend loved the gift! Hope you enjoyed this project too.

Print Project
5 from 6 votes

Wisconsin State String Art

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

  • Wooden board
  • Embroidery floss
  • Small nails
  • Hammer
  • White craft glue

Instructions

  • Download a free state pattern from the Internet.
  • Enlarge as needed.
  • Draw a small heart in the general area of the state to represent the city. This heart also serves as the anchor point for the strings.
  • Position your enlarged state print out onto your wooden board. Tape the edges in a few places just to hold it still while you begin adding nails.
  • Hammer nails into the pattern along the state outline. Nails should be approximately 1/2-inch apart.
  • Hammer around the outline of the little heart.
  • Remove the paper state pattern from the nails. You no longer need the pattern, so don't worry if it rips.
  • Starting from the state outline nails (doesn't matter where, just choose a starting point) tie a strand of embroidery floss to a nail and add a little glue to the knot. From here you will stretch the string to a nail on the heart. Loop it around the heart nail then stretch it back to the nail next to your starting point. Be careful not to stretch the string too tight that your nails may bend, but make sure you keep it taught enough that it doesn't sag.
  • Continue this process around the the outline of the state to the heart, back and forth. You will probably find that you need to go over nails on the heart more than once in order to keep your strings looking uniform. This is simply because there are a lot more state outline nails than there are heart nails.
  • Continue until you have completed the entire state. Be sure to always add glue whenever you start and end a string with a knot. Allow the glue to dry completely.
How to make state inspired string art using embroidery floss, small nails, craft glue, and a wooden board. Customize this wall art to your home state!
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Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
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Filed Under: Home Decor Projects Tagged With: adult, adult craft ideas, adult crafts, adults, crafts for adults, string art, wall art, wisconsin, wood

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Comments

  1. Jen says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    Can you tell me more about how you outlined the state boarder? Did you use yellow for that too and was this something you did at the end?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      November 11, 2019 at 8:35 am

      Oh my gosh, thank you for bringing that to my attention – I will fix it right away! But to answer you question, yes you do the outline last. start wherever you ended, then work your way around the outline of the state, wrapping once around each nail.

      Reply
  2. Ari says

    February 10, 2018 at 8:31 am

    Great project! I’m still in school, and this would be great as a birthday or mothers day gift! Thanks a lot!

    Reply
  3. Brittany Rado says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:48 am

    Can I get a rough estimate of how many packages of embroidery string you used? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      December 11, 2017 at 2:32 pm

      I can’t remember for sure, but I think we used one full skein and part of another.

      Reply
  4. Erin says

    November 13, 2017 at 10:32 am

    How big is the board you used for this?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      November 24, 2017 at 6:02 pm

      I don’t have the board any more to measure it (it was a gift) but if I had to guess I would say 3’x2′

      Reply
  5. Brooklyn Jones says

    November 5, 2017 at 9:57 am

    Hello! I was just wondering if you could use sewing pins instead of nails if you use a canvas instead of wood. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      November 5, 2017 at 1:25 pm

      I haven’t tried that, can’t guarantee they will stay put. If you do try it, when you insert the pin, add a dab of glue to each point.

      Reply
  6. Arlene says

    August 1, 2017 at 11:17 am

    Any suggestions for removing the bits of paper that sometimes get trapped under some of the nails?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      August 2, 2017 at 6:53 am

      Tweezers work great for this!

      Reply
  7. Samriddhi says

    June 23, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    This is amazing ❤ I am gonna make it for my country ? which paint is used for painting the wooden board ?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      June 28, 2017 at 1:48 pm

      Hi, Samriddhi! You can just use regular acrylic paint, and if you’d like you can also do a coat of white paint before applying the main color to help it pop more. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Samriddhi says

        July 1, 2017 at 12:50 am

        Thankyou so much ? this is really great.. can I get to you on facebook or Instagram???

        Reply
  8. Gracie says

    May 11, 2017 at 7:53 pm

    About how many loops per nail did you do for this project?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      May 12, 2017 at 1:44 pm

      Hi, Gracie! There is only one loop per nail. You take one loop around each nail unless instructed in the tutorial where you may need to go around 1 nail more than once. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Erin says

        November 13, 2017 at 10:31 am

        Do you know about how many loops you made around each nail in the heart?

        Reply
        • Amanda Formaro says

          November 24, 2017 at 6:04 pm

          Some were 2, some 3 and some 4 depending on how much space needed to be filled. No more than 4 or it’s too much for the nail.

          Reply
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