Tryin' to whip up some ideas for Mom's day. Fabric is something I haven't worked with much, so I thought it felt kind of special. It's glued to cardstock here, which makes it easier to handle than regular old tricksy fabric.
Wish you could see this in person (my photography is always lacking.) This is my favourite fabric in the whole wide world. The little coloured buds in it glow like they're lit up from inside! I have just a little remnant of it (got it at a second hand store.) Paired with my new fave... Leather Cardstock (from Paper Temptress), it makes for a really sturdy & textural gift-y thingamabob.
...making a fabric box (with fringe bottom & beading)
...recycling for funny feet (thread spools)
- Black Leather Cardstock (for the box)
- Tombow Monomulti (or other glue suitable for fabric)
- Scrap cardstock (to glue fabric to)
- Paper piercer
- Needle & Embroidery thread
- Seed beads
- Scissors (sharp) :O)
- Empty thread spools (or other feet)
- Crystal Lacquer (or other really strong adhesive)
- Oh so sticky tape (or other strong double-sided tape)
...make a fabric box (with fringe bottom & beading)
Step 1) glue fabric to cardstock (I like Tombow Monomulti)
...reusing misprinted pieces of cardstock is always handy; however, in hindsight, I'd probably use the same colour as your box. I had to cover the backs of these in black cardstock (made them stronger though...):
Step 2) Trace any shape you like that fits onto a rectangular box as a template onto the back of the fabric-glued cardstock
To make this shape, I traced a plastic scraper--of all things-- got it from Victorian Epicure (company that sells spices & kitchen stuff, LOL.) I would've traced the scraper to make a template for you, but I lost it in the move. :O(
Step 3) Cut out the front & back pieces
Step 4) Seal edges with adhesive to prevent fraying (of course, depending on your fabric, you may not need to do the fray check step)
Step 5) Pierce & stitch edges if you like (I stitched it in turquoise & added black embroidery thread fringe). Fringe tutorial here.
Step 6) Sew on beads.
Piercing from the back first lets you see where you're adding the holes for sewing on beads. (The fabric I used hid the holes on the front...)
The handle is just made by covering a strip of cardstock using the exact same process...
...except with fabric on both sides & edged with black stitches instead of blue.
The box construction:
The box is made from that snifty Leather Cardstock from Paper Temptress. (It has the texture of leather, but a classy matte finish which makes it so stamp-able.) Luv the weight of it for boxes.
This super simple rectangular box measures:
- 5 inches wide
- 3 inches high
- 2 and 1/2 inches deep
Step 1) Start with a standard piece of cardstock (8 1/2 by 11)
Step 2) With the paper placed horizontally, score at 3 inches & 8 inches
Step 3) Turn the paper, so it's vertical; score at 2 1/2 inches & 5 1/2 inches
Step 4) Cut slits (where indicated by red lines)
Step 5) Assemble with good double-sided tape
Funny Feet (thread spools)
The feet on this box raise it up to let the fringe hang down:
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here's how they were
or rather how they were recycled... ;o)
You can see the snazzy texture of the Leather Cardstock in this photo:
These feet are just empty thread spools (black ones from those packages of dollar store thread) They're glued on with Crystal lacquer. Of course, if that's just too odd for your taste, you could use big beads or wooden feet, if you like.
Alternate way to use fabric? Instead of working directly with fabric, you could scan your favourite fabric & print it on cardstock.
To make a quicker box that's faster but still custom: buy any box you like the looks of and attach a panel that you've made (on the lid, the sides, or the inside...) :O)
(It's the Miss Anya set
that I got from Paper Garden Projects.)
that I got from Paper Garden Projects.)
