Today's publication is useful to those people who love to have the surrounding space not only beautiful, but also organized. The topic of the article is “How to fit a box with a cloth?”. We will consider several options for creating convenient and attractive drawers that can be used in almost any interior. Below, readers are offered several detailed master classes with photographs, thanks to which they will be able to translate their ideas into practice.
Boxes in the interior - functional decor
Boxes covered with cloth do-it-yourself have recently become very popular with designers. Despite the fact that these interior items are sold ready-made and quite suitable for use, it’s better to try and make them yourself. There are several advantages to this:
- independent choice of the shape and size of the box;
- the possibility of perfect selection of fabric colors;
- Exclusive box decor.
In addition, by creating such beauty on her own, the needlewoman can rightfully be proud of her talents and skills.
Cardboard boxes covered with fabric will be appropriate everywhere, both in living rooms and in utility rooms. They will become a reliable storage for clothes, toys, various household trifles and things that could not be found on shelves of cabinets and racks. Such boxes can be large or small, deep or low, with or without lids, with glued or cut handles.
The choice of the necessary model depends on its purpose. If the box will be used often, for example, as a container for toys or an organizer for linen, socks, it is better to do it without a lid. Well, when some memorabilia will be stored in it that needs to be saved for the future, it is better to equip it with a tightly closing lid.
Base selection
Before you figure out how to fit the box with a cloth, you need to pick up the box itself. Not every one of them is suitable for this. It should be sufficiently rigid and dense, made of good, high-quality cardboard. Ideally, shoe boxes are used for this purpose. Their walls are quite thin, but they are made of high-quality pressed cardboard that does not deform, even if it is accidentally crushed.
If there are no boxes of the right size at home, you can go in search of it at the nearest post office - they have containers of any caliber on sale. You can also take the drawers in which food was stored, but first you need to make sure that they are clean and dry, and that there are no oily stains on the cardboard. Even minimal pollution will lead to the fact that the craft will subsequently have an unpleasant smell, or even completely mold.
A round box covered with fabric looks even more impressive in the interior than a rectangular one. But it’s more difficult to buy such a basis. You probably have to make it yourself. In our article there is a small master class not only on how to fit a box with a cloth, but also how to make it out of a dense corrugated cardboard.
What is better to tighten the boxes?
Most often, thin cotton fabric such as calico, chintz or satin is used for this. These materials are quite affordable, and their variety on store shelves is simply amazing. In addition, working with such a fabric is a pleasure. It is very pliable, well impregnated with glue and easily smoothed over the surface of the box. Thanks to this, the boxes are neat and not bulky. Often, masters to create such crafts use not one type of fabric, but several. Choosing the right companion material for coarse calico is the easiest. Typically, manufacturers make several types of fabric in one series, which are perfectly combined with each other.
You can also use more dense fabrics - upholstery, knitwear, terry, denim. If this material is without texture, it is usually glued directly to cardboard, but with patterned and fleecy fabrics, this technology is not very convenient. How to fit a box with a long-haired cloth? Details need to be stitched together and pulled onto the base like a cover. This applies to both internal and external elements.
Large rectangular box for items or toys
Now we turn directly to the question of how to tighten a box around the box with our own hands:
- Having chosen a box that is suitable in shape and size, you need to prepare two fabric cuts - for the inside and outside. It may be the same material, but combined boxes look prettier. The size of the cuts is quite simple to calculate - their width is equal to the width of the bottom and two heights of the side plus 2.5-5 cm for bending the cut; cut length - the length of the bottom plus two heights of the sides plus 2.5-5 cm.
- Next, you need to draw the corners of the fabric, cutting out square-shaped rags from them, so that subsequently beautifully lay the sides of the upholstery on top of each other. To do this, the box is installed in the center, using a long ruler, you need to continue the line of the box’s face, drawing it to the edge of the material. From this strip, another 1-1.5 cm is laid for allowances, then squares are cut out (photo 2).
- We begin to tighten the box from the inside, putting the inner part of the upholstery into it. First you need to glue the bottom, then the long walls, superimposing their allowances on the adjacent edges of the box. Short walls are glued on top, with hem allowances. The upper sections of the fabric bend outward and also adhere well to cardboard.
- The outside is similar to the inside. To make the craft look neat, you should carefully iron the material to expel air bubbles from under it. This is conveniently done with a small spatula or ruler.
- The final touch is the design of the edge of the box using the edge. It can be made from the same fabric as the whole box, or from a beautiful braid.
If the purpose of the work is to create a box with a lid, then its upper element is made similar to the bottom.
Box of sweaters
As an upholstery for a box, you can use not only cuts of fabrics, but also things. Old sweaters are ideal for this purpose. Knitwear fits the box nicely, besides it has a very interesting texture. It is only important to choose the right size clothing. If the sweater is smaller than the box, he will tightly fit it, and if it is larger, the fabric will wrinkle.
Before you tighten the box with cloth, you need to prepare it: cut off the extra parts from the thing - the collar and sleeves.
It is better to leave the bottom cut with an elastic band so that the knitwear does not open, and so it will look neater. The inner part of the box can be left as it is, especially if the outer layer has covered most of it. The edge is decorated with lace, braid or ribbon. In addition to the box, you can glue the outer handles, picking up a cord to match the braid. They will become not so much a functional part of the drawer as decorative, it is not worth carrying the box with their help, especially if something heavy is stored in it.
How to fit a round box with cloth?
The picture shows how to make a round box with a cardboard cover. In fact, there is nothing complicated in this, it takes no more than one hour. The technology of wrapping the box around the fabric is different from the previous one, because the base has no corners. The secret of a beautiful bottom formation is that along the lower cut of the material you need to make notches in the form of triangles. For the bottom of the box, a round piece of fabric should be cut, which is glued on top of the allowances of the side wall part.
The lid is tightened slightly different than the box itself. Its top will look prettier if you put a small amount of synthetic winterizer in it. A square flap needs to cover the top of the product, forming symmetrical folds on the sides and fixing them with glue. Then, the entire structure is glued with a strip of fabric along the length of the circumference of the cover, and along the width of its height, plus an allowance for the hem sections.
Box Decor: Interesting Ideas
Covering the drawer with cloth is half the battle. The final result depends on what fabric is used for pasting and how beautifully the box is decorated. The style of the product is determined by the interior in which it will be placed. There are several universal solutions, for example, burlap boxes. This coarse material goes well with delicate lace and flower arrangement of dried flowers.
Another win-win option is antique-style boxes. Lace, delicate flowers, pearls - it always looks beautiful and appropriate. Also, for the decor of the box, you can use not a fabric, but a jute rope. She needs to wrap the walls of the box, treating them with glue. A cover made of coarse fabric (terry or homespun cloth) is inserted inside the box .
Place in the interior
There are several ways to use boxes lined with textiles. With their help, you can organize space in pantries, cabinets on the balcony. In this case, it is better to make all the boxes in the same style, covering them with the same fabric. The decor on them will be superfluous, but the plates for the inscriptions will not hurt.
“Room” boxes can be made as you like. If they will be placed in the nursery, respectively, they are decorated with bright fabric and beautiful applications. It’s not worth trifling - for toys and books you need large boxes that can be put directly on the floor. Smaller drawers look great on open shelves. In general-purpose rooms, drawers are also best installed on racks, choosing their size so that they do not protrude beyond the shelves. Boxes, which will be used only as a decor, can be placed one on top of the other, making them a kind of turret. In this case, it is not necessary to achieve perfect symmetry of the boxes. They can differ in height and even upholstery.