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A fabric-covered bulletin board (also called a French Memo Board) can add to any room. It can be used for grocery lists and memos in a kitchen, pictures in a child’s room, or mementos in an office. Not only can they add to a room, they’re fun to make as well!
Supplies Needed for a 30” by 24” Board:
Styrofoam insulation (can be bought at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot, usually in a 3×8 ft sheet)
A roll of plain white paper (found at your local craft store)
Spray adhesive
1 ½ yards of fabric of your choice
9 yards of matching ribbon, usually 5/8” in width
Hot glue gun
Braided hanging wire
Buttons or other intersection pieces, such as puffy stickers, scrapbook supplies, etc. (choose objects that won’t melt from hot glue)
Tape measure
Wire cutters
Phillips head screw driver
Straight sewing pins
¾” quilt batting
Step 1: Your styrofoam board more than likely had to be purchased in an 8-foot long piece. You can break this down into bulletin board pieces of your choice. For this project, we will cut off a piece that measures 24″x30”.
Note: Use the side of the board that has writing on it for the back. If you are working with light material the writing will show through the batting and the fabric!
Step 2. Determine which way you want your board to hang: horizontally or vertically.
Step 3. Punch two holes into your board, based on which way it will hang. Holes can be punched easily with the Phillips head screw driver.
For a horizontal board measure 13 inches from each corner.
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For a vertical board measure 10 inches from each corner
Step 4: Thread your braided hanger wire through your holes. Leave enough for a loop to hang the board from, then twist together.
Step 5: For reinforcement, fill the holes with hot glue. The insulation will melt a little bit, but then firm up and hold your wire in place.
Step 6: Once your wire hanger is in place, cover the back of your board with the white paper, using the spray adhesive. This will give the back a more finished look. Some may choose to opt out of this step, since no one will see the back.
Step 7: Cut a piece of batting to cover the board with enough excess to pull around the back.
Pull tightly all around the board and glue into place on the sides. Bring the excess to the back of the board by ½” and glue that as well.
Step 8: Lay your fabric on the board. If using patterned fabric, remember to make sure it is laid on the board evenly.
I find it helpful to tack the fabric down on the sides of the board with fabric pins. This ensures that my fabric is straight and it also helps me tighten it up. (Tightening your fabric is important. If it is not pulled tightly all around the board, once the ribbon is put on, it will bunch up, giving the board an unattractive appearance.)
Step 9: Once your fabric is tightly secured to the board with fabric pins, turn the board over. Begin hot gluing the excess of your fabric to the back of the board. Do this 1” away from the edge. (If you have fabric that extends beyond 1”, simply cut it off once the glue dries.)
Make sure you constantly pull your fabric taut as you glue.
Step 10: Cut your ribbon into 6 sections:
2 – 45″ sections
4 – 33″ sections
Step 11: Take your 45” sections and lay them in an X across your board, corner to corner. Tack into place with a fabric pin on the edge of the board.
Step 12: Measure out 8 inches from the edge of this ribbon, and lay one of your 33” sections, also at an X angle. Tack this into place. Continue to do this with the remainder of your ribbon, measuring 8” inches between each section.
Step 13: With ribbons tacked into place and pulled taut, turn your board over. Hot glue the ribbon onto the back of the board, matching the edge of your glued fabric.
Step 14: Begin gluing your intersecting pieces at all the intersections. I find it helpful to tack the intersections down with glue as well.
Step 15: Remove all your fabric pins.
Step 16: If you are going for a finished back, quilt backing can be used on the back of the board. Simply glue a trip of quilt backing along the edge of your fabric and ribbon and this will provide a more finished look.
Step 17: Hang and enjoy!
Fabric-covered Bulletin Board
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October 16th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
ohh yay…posted instructions on how to do this…how fun…i want to try it out now!
October 16th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I really want to try one of these, they look awesome, and like they are alot of fun to try!
October 17th, 2008 at 8:18 am
oh cool this is great
October 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
oh thank you i can never find the one i want and with these instructions it should be a breeze to figure it out thanks
October 20th, 2008 at 7:57 am
This makes a GREAT gift for a teen and you know how difficult it can be to come up with great homemade ideas for themm!
October 20th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Yay! I’ve been wanting to make one of these!
October 20th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I will be back to get these directions. I have been wanting to make one of these. Very easy to understand and well presented!! Thank you.
October 21st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
This is a fun project! Neat
Thanks!
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I’ve never done this, but I used to have something similar. I was gifted a frame that had a backing of metal fencing (w/ a criss-cross pattern). It was great b/c it had pretty metal hair clips that you used to attaching your papers and photos. Very original.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:21 am
i have been wanting to try to make one of these for the longest time! thanks for the simple instructions!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Neat! I was just looking for some type
of bulletin board (but classier)
and this looks pretty simple.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I love these! They are so cute and super easy to make!
December 10th, 2008 at 10:13 am
[...] is your man’s favorite sports team? Check out Totally Her’s article on making fabric covered bulletin boards and make him one, decorated with fabric, ribbon, and buttons from his favorite [...]
June 27th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Thanks for these instructions!! I made 2 for graduation presents. I didn’t want to buy the huge board at lowes….I found styrofoam board at Michael’s that was about a foot wide. I trimmed the sides so that the board was 2 feet. I had to guess on the ribbon and fabric measurements, but they both turned out looking excellent!!
November 11th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
[...] want to make some of these, but I’m not sure which pattern to go with: there’s this one from Totally Her, or this one on Sew Mama Sew, or from FreshVintage, or of course Apartment Therapy Chicago. [...]
March 6th, 2010 at 9:59 am
My friend wanted one of these for her son’s room, so glad to find this pattern on here!! THANK YOU! My hubby is getting the foam this morning while running errands, and I am headed to the fabric store this afternoon. Thanks again for this pattern!