Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cheats for fabric & Leather: Black Satin Purse Box (with fringe bottom)



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
These instructions are not to scale, but hopefully they're clear enough...


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:



here's how they were made,
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)



8 comments:

Theresa Momber said...

Amazing tutorial, Mel! Wow, gorgeous!

Kim Etherington said...

Love the blue fringe. Neat fabric. You're so damn talented girl.. get this business started and get rich would ya. ;o)

Becky said...

Girl you are just toooo amazing. :)

Me Myself and I-N-K said...

Mel, you cease to amaze me! I just love your frugality and how you can make one simple household item into a fabulous piece of art! Amazing purse!

Alma =)

Me Myself and I-N-K said...

Ooooppsss, sorry I meant to say "You DON'T cease to amaze me!" I was typing too fast. LOL

Alma =)

Shari Nelson said...

Wow, this is great! Love your ideas, thanks for sharing.

Elena said...

Oh, your fabric box is gorgeous! Thank you for the wonderful tutorial, Mel!

adeline said...

This is AMAZING.. I wait everyday to see what crazy and fabulous idea you'll come with, and i'm never diseapointed :) Thanks for sharing with us.