Hatbox - jcaroline creative
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Fabric Covered Hatbox

fabric covered hatbox
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Make your gift wrap a gift in itself! Cover a hatbox with fabric and embellish with trims or ribbon. The box shown above is covered with Michael Miller's Sorbet Aqua Bubbles and embellished with lime green ball fringe.
Materials Needed:
  • Hat Box
  • 1 1/2 yards of fabric
  • 48" of ribbon or trim
  • Craft Glue and/or spray adhesive
Step 1:

Carefully disassemble the box in the four corners where it is glued together. Lay the box flat. Do the same with the lid.
Step 2:

Lay the box on the fabric and cut your fabric approximately 1/2" larger all the way around. You can ignore the flaps by folding them in as those will not be seen. Do the same with the lid.
Step 3:

Spray the right side of your flattened box with spray adhesive and adhere to the fabric. You can usually remove any wrinkles by repositioning the fabric before the adhesive dries. You can use a permanent adhesive like 3M's Spray Mount or a temporary adhesive if you like, because you will be gluing the raw edges down on the inside with craft glue. Repeat for the lid.
Step 4:

On your inside corners, clip at a 45 degree angle just to the edge of the box. Now glue your seam allowance to the inside of the box on all sides with double-sided tape or craft glue. Repeat with the lid.
Step 5:

If desired, you can use a hole punch or ice pick to poke a hole for the string. Apply a little craft glue to keep the fabric from shifting and fraying at the hole.
Step 6:

Now you can reassemble the box and lid by gluing the flaps back to the box sides.
Step 7:

Embellish with trim, ribbon or appliques.
If you are interested in making your own fabric covered hatbox, visit the following categories/pages on our site:
  • Fabrics -many fabrics to choose from. I'd stick with cotton canvas, twill or quilting weight.
  • Trims -use pom pom fringe, beaded fringe, etc.
  • Ribbons -grosgrain is the easiest to work with and the best value.
  • Short-Ends -fabric remnants at discounted prices.
  • Glue/Adhesives -Thermoweb, spray adhesive, tacky glue.
Printable Version
copyright 2005 j. caroline designs, l.p.