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DIY fabric-covered boxes

Spruce up your bedroom, living room, craft room or baby’s nursery with a fun DIY project that happens to coordinate and complete your decor. These simple DIY fabric-covered boxes can be used to store photographs, craft supplies, toys, books, music and more.

Materials needed for your DIY fabric-covered box

  • Cardboard box with lid
  • Woven cotton fabric with little or no vertical, horizontal or diagonal stretch
  • Cardstock paper
  • Fabric scissors
  • Heavy-duty double-sided tape
  • Clear packing tape

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Step 1:

Select a box to be used for your DIY fabric-covered box project. The sturdier the better, as it will last longer and look better as a finished product. A shoebox or giftwrap box also work well, but can make the project a little more challenging.

Step 2:

Select your fabric. It’s best to use a sturdy woven cotton fabric with little to no stretch, but stay away from upholstery-weight fabric unless your box is at least 12 inches and is being used for home decor in situations like nesting boxes on the floor.

Step 3:

Measure your box. Note the measurements of your box, including the sides and bottom, and the top and sides of the lid.

Step 4:

Mark and cut your fabric. You can visually mark your fabric by placing your box and lid directly on the fabric and use the measurements or mark the fabric with a ruler and the measurements. Add 2 inches to each measurement to allow for the finished edges.

Step 5:

Apply double-sided tape to the edges of the box and lid. On opposites sides of the box, carefully pull as you place the fabric on the double-sided tape and smooth to secure in place. This step holds your fabric in place and allows you to easily secure the fabric to the inside of the box.

Step 6:

Cut darts at the corners. To allow for complete coverage of the box, cut darts (a diagonal straight line with sharp scissors) toward each corner of the box and lid, stopping just before you reach the corners.

Step 7:

To secure the two remaining sides, fold the fabric as if you were wrapping a gift box with wrapping paper. Use double-sided tape to secure any areas you can’t hold in place.

Step 8:

Finish the edges by folding the fabric over twice (cutting away any excess fabric) and secure the folded fabric to the inside of the box and lid with double-sided tape. You can also secure the fabric with clear packing tape to make this step a little easier.

Step 9:

Measure the inside of the lid and cut a piece from cardstock paper. With double-sided tape, secure the cardstock paper to the inside of the lid to hide the tape that secures the fabric in place.

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