Do you remember the old-school overhead projectors for putting the homework list up on the board? Well, somewhere along the way we lost touch of projecting onto walls for other reasons than watching movies or binging on giant Netflix.

More and more homes are designed with media rooms, so having a projector in your house is quite common, but did you know that movie projectors can also be used for an array of DIY crafting projects? Yes your projector has a place in your craft room.

It took me some time to get the first projector I got this one by Bomaker ,  I really didn’t know what I wanted or needed but the team at Bomaker was able to assist me in choosing one that was suitable for my movies and crafting. So when they asked me to review it, I knew I had to jump in and share all the fun project ideas I could find with you. (other than movie nights by the pool and sleepovers).

The Bomaker might be small but it had a mighty punch, my 11-year-old set up as soon as it arrived because it was Movi night. We found the largest plain wall in our house and within 5 mins we were ready to go. This is by no means the full size of the projection for this unit, but it was the biggest all we had at the time. Optimal projection ratio: 2.6m and this model supports a maximum resolution of 1080P.

Design dump shows you how to project an image onto a wall for a large wall mural that you can then trace or paint. Perfect for large projects. Use an image, an image of a stencil, or pause a video to capture the design.  This tutorial also shows you how to set up a mural painting project with your Projector with some great tips and tricks on doing it right.

How about Keepsake memories, take an image or scan of the letter from a loved one, then use it to project it onto a wall for handwritten memory, or aim smaller and project it onto bed linen (use fabric paint) a cushion, or pillow.

more ideas here (img src )

This video shows you how to use a projector to transfer the outline of an image onto an art canvas for painting. If you are into photography and creating your own fun social media images or perhaps just a photography project then check out this video showcasing artistic ways to use a projector in your photography.

This image below shows how you can use it to draw in the outline onto a rug backing for rug hooking, this same method could be applied on a smaller size for cross stitch and large needlework wall hanging projects. Although this image shows an old-style projector it can 100% done with a movie projector too.

How about smaller projects you say? How about using it to hack your furniture! This tutorial byThe purple painted lady shows you how she get her typography so perfect on her projects.

This image captures the use of a projector projecting a gridline. Now whilst this is being used to draw a painting, gridlines are perfect for hanging photo galleries and artwork. Simply balance your projector to the levels you want and avoid marking up the whole wall for multiple placements, just follow the projected gride lines.

So how else can you use a projector for your DIY crafting?  You know all those sewing patterns you can buy online that come in PDFs but you have to print, piece, and stick them together to get the size you want? What if you could just trace and cut directly onto the design using a projector? This article shows you how to do just that.  Project your sewing patterns directly onto your cutting table, slip your fabric under the beam, and hey presto you are ready to cut.   Here is a great article with links to projector-ready sewing files to get you started.

You will need a ceiling mount for your projector to make this work. for the wall projects, I highly recommend buying a projector stand or using an old music stand laid flat if you have one on hand.

Edited to add the details of the unit in this photo.

We didn’t add a speaker to our unit and it wasn’t an issue for us, but you could pop in some extra speakers if using it outside for a movie or with a bunch of noisy kids. 

Bomaker GC355 Gray