Monday, January 10, 2011

Tutorial - Fabric Covered Boxes with Ribbon Ties - Part 3

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

I'm back with the third part of our fabric covered box tutorial. I hope it's been easy to follow so far. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail if anything is unclear or if you have any questions.

We should have our box forms made, our fabric cut and our inside fabric glue-hemmed.  The next step is to apply the fabric to the cardboard with some mod podge.


Start with the exterior piece of fabric for your largest box. Flip it so that the wrong side is up on your work surface.

Now flip your box over and paint a layer of mod podge on just the center (bottom) section.


Working pretty quickly, flip the box onto the fabric and smooth out with your hands (or a burnishing tool if you have one).


Now your bottom piece is glued. Flip back over and we're essentially going to wrap the fabric all around like a present.

The first step is to notch those corners like we did with our interior pieces. Just cut a diagonal line that meets up with your box corners.


Flip one of your sides up and apply a layer of mod podge as shown.


Gently lay that flap onto the fabric and paint a small bit of mod podge around the interior edges.


Smooth the fabric against the cardboard and pull it up and over onto the interior of the cardboard.


Now for the corners. We'll do them the same way we did on our interior fabric pieces.



The corners will be a bit bulky. Use clothespins to hold them in place while your mod podge dries.


Repeat this process all the way around until you have something that looks like this:


Set aside and allow to dry for 20 - 30 minutes.

Remove the clothespins and paint a thin layer of mod podge to your center (bottom) cardboard.


Making sure that corners and flaps match up, place your interior fabric piece wrong-side-down on the portion you've just mod-podged.

Again - burnish or smooth with your hands.

Cut 8 lengths of grosgrain ribbon. I cut mine 8" but you can make them shorter or longer depending on your desired size. If you would prefer to make ties instead of bows (like on my smallest polka dot box - see bottom of post for photo), you can get away with a shorter length (maybe 4" or so).

Working with one flap at a time, apply mod podge, place your ribbons toward the top (maybe 1" down) and burnish the fabric against the cardboard.


I used two clothespins in each corner to hold my box together during drying time.


Repeat this process with the three remaining flaps.


Prop up each side of the box with household items and allow to dry overnight.

Almost done!

If you have a sewing machine and want to go the extra mile, you can actually put a few stitches into the cardboard to hold your ribbon. If you've applied enough mod podge and allowed your boxes to dry really well, this may not be necessary. But I did it on mine. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to sew through cardboard. Just take it VERY slow and don't backstitch or you might break a needle.


The only thing left to do is tie your bows or ties. I sort of hold the box between my knees while I do this to get a nice tight knot.


Now trim your ends and apply a small bit of fray check.

That's it! Repeat with your two smaller boxes and you've got a set of three coordinating storage boxes made from an ugly old shipping box. 


I'd love to get your thoughts on this project. I know it's a bit involved but once you get the hang of it, you'll be whipping these up in no time flat.

* This project featured on Mod Podge Rocks here.

** Linked up to Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog here.

42 comments:

  1. I am so glad you finished this tutorial. It really does seem easy with your detailed directions. I love the coordination of your fabrics. Thank you. Now I need to get busy.

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  2. I do love these so. Brilliant idea!

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  3. Beautiful and so creative love it I so need to try this. Your instructions were great. Thank u.

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  4. Great tutorial. I am your newest follower :)

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  5. Found you over on Mod Podge Rocks - this is a great idea! Now I know exactly what to do with all those diaper and wipe boxes I have stashed.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  6. So cute!! Brilliant idea and I'm glad it came out so well for you. Saw you on Mod Podge Rocks.

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  7. I've been wanting some storage boxes but they can be so expensive! Since it's not a "need" I've been holding off. Thank you for showing me how to make my own! I love that it's recycled too!

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  8. very cool and a great re-use project! off to try it on my own!

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  9. These are great! I am just starting to think about using fabric in addition to my scrapbook paper for these kinds of projects. Thanks for the inspiration and tutorial.
    http://altered-artworks.blogspot.com

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  10. such a great tutorial! I have one of these and have often admired it...now i can make more!!

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  11. Love it!! I can all different sizes being used to "pretty" up my laundry/sewing area!! Love that this is a recycle project too!

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  12. genius! so cute! attempting these tonite:D! thanx for sharing!

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  13. Hi friends. Thank you so, so much for all of your lovely comments! I'm so happy to have you here.

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  14. This is perfect. I have loads of fabric and boxes. Thanks for sharing.
    QMM

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  15. Great job!! I just added a shelf to my craft room, just might have to make some of these!

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  16. Thanks, all! Have fun making the boxes. Save those Costco boxes. My next attempt is going to be with a triscuit box. :-)

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  17. Amy sent me here....and I'm so glad....I knew you could do this...but had never seen it done....so thank you for the tutorial.....I know I will making these boxes......

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  18. Awesome step by step. New challenge for me and new follower.

    Jess B.
    thatzuneek@gmail.com

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  19. This idea and tutorial are awesome. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

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  20. omgee...you are a GENIUS! hopped over from mod podge rocks & glad i did. i always save my boxes so i could make an entire household set of these...woo-hoo! just the project i was looking for to upcycle, get the storage i need, & save $ too...you rock girl! hugs!

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  21. Wow! This is too clever for words. I came over from Mod Podge Rocks too & your blog is a delight!

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  22. These are so cute!! Did you use regular mod podge or the fabric kind? :) Can't wait to make some!

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  23. I love these...now I must become a follower!

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  24. Thanks so much for all the comment love!

    Crystal - I used regular podge but only because I didn't know about fabric podge when I did this project. The regular stuff worked fine and I assume the stuff made for fabric would be ok too.

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  25. This is fabulous! I have been featuring frugal storage ideas on my blog and was wondering if I could post a picture and a link to the tutorial?

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  26. Wow these are the best thing ever! I have been against storing things in cardboard boxes like this because in our humid climate they attract bugs of all sort! But maybe now its more doable! I can't wait to get a sewing machine now!

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  27. Love, love, love this technique with the ribbon. I have saved lots of boxes and now have a project in mind. Thank you!

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  28. Very cute! Your instructions are excellent, by the way! I can't wait to make a bundle of these!

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  29. what a great tutorial, can't wait to try some for myself. I am also thinking cute baby fabric for a shower... :) thanks!

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