Ruby Star Rising Clock Tutorial

When I was in New York (again with the New York stuff!) I picked up a 1/4 yard of some Ruby Star Rising viewfinder fabric (sadly, Stephanie got to it before me, so that's all they had left.) The next day, I made a quick trip to Ikea and found a clock that I knew I could make cuter. This is what I came up with.

I posted it on flickr and got some positive feedback, so I thought I'd do up a tutorial. Now, mind you, this is my first attempt at a tutorial. If you see any glaring errors, or have suggestions how to make it better, please, let me know. And, if you absolutely adore it, let me know that too ~ I can take it!

Supply list:
clock
fabric (maybe 12" square)
scissors
hole punch
pencil
spray glue
decorative paper (optional)

Okay, first up, get a clock. These came from Ikea. No, you don't need 5. Just one. Katie, my photographer, wanted some for a project for her room. The method below should work for most clocks, I should think. So, discount store, thrift store, go find a clock.

 Going from the backside of the clock, push the little tab thingie to get the front of the clock off.

 Like that.

Next, remove the hands. At first, they might feel like they don't want to come off. Show them who's boss and give them a good yank. They'll put up a bit of a fight, but eventually succomb to your mighty power.

Try to pay attention to the order in which you take them off. For this one, little hand on the bottom.

 Set the hands aside.

Peel the clock face off. This very expensive clock ($1.99) has a paper face. Save this ~ you'll use it for a template.

Trace around the face template onto a piece of cardboard. This is a cat food box. Be sure to trace the inside circle, too.

Cut out your cardboard circle, and punch out the center. If you have a cropodile, get that guy out now.

 Cool fabric, right? Press it really well. Don't want a wrinkly clock.

Center your template on the part you want to use. Mine had a built in circle that I wanted to center.

 Cut out around your template, leaving about a 1/2 inch extra all the way around.

 Cut out that center circle, too.

A light spray of spray glue (I think I used elmer's) onto the cardboard. Do not make a puddle. And, make sure your fabric is far enough away so you don't get overspray on it. You should probably do this outside, because that glue goes all over. My carpet is a tad sticky now.

 Center your fabric onto the cardboard and smooth it out.

 Another light spray of glue, this time just on the outer edge.

 Fold that 1/2 inch extra over the back side of the cardboard.

 
Flatten it all the way around.

Put your new face back into the clock. Make sure that center spindle thing is completely free of fabric. I took a razor blade and gently trimmed around it. Excess fabric will hang up your clock hands. Oh, and pay attention to which way is up on your clock when you replace the face (I referred to the hang tab on the back of the clock. Don't want to be 6 hours behind all the time!)

Put the hands back on your clock. (Little hand, big hand, second hand.) Then pop the top back on and you're finished!

After I got the hands on, I realized that the back looked kinda crummy, so I took it apart again, used that clock face template, and cut out a piced of scrapbook paper. There was enough glue left on the back to stick it down.

So there you have it! Your own cute Ruby Star Rising Clock! I'd love to know if you make one. Link me up!