How to Make a Bulletin Board With Fabric

Whether you are creating a bulletin board for a school classroom or decorating a bulletin board at your office, creativity is the key to making them appealing. Although there are many tools specifically created for bulletin board design, one of the simplest and cheapest is fabric and cloth. Here are some suggestions for how to make a creative bulletin board with fabric.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bulletin Board
• Cloth
• Ribbon
• Stapler

1. Visit your local fabric or sewing store. You will find many fabric choices available with a variety of prices. You can find everything from basic plain colors to school prints, to seasonal prints for holidays. You can even find career specific prints, for example fabric with nurses on it for a hospital, or fabric with teeth on it for a dentist.

2. If you are going to apply a trim on top of the main fabric, then you can simply cut the fabric to the size of the bulletin board. You don't have to worry if the fabric edges are slightly jagged. Then staple the fabric onto the bulletin board staying as close to the outer edges of the bulletin board as possible.

3. If you are not going to apply trim over the main fabric, then you must must make the appearance neat. Cut the fabric to the dimensions of the bulletin board and add an additional one to two inches on each side. Carefully cut the fabric so that all edges are straight. Then when you are stapling it to the board, you will fold under the fabric so that it lies neatly next to inside frame of the bulletin board (the jagged edge is folded underneath. Square off the corners just as you would if you were gift wrapping a package.

4. Instead of using cardboard trim, you can use wide ribbon to frame your bulletin board. This can be found at the sewing or craft store and again comes in many designs and prices.

5. Consider making part of the bulletin board a memo board by applying ribbon into which pictures and cards can be inserted. You do this by attaching ribbon diagonally along the bulletin board. Apply the ribbon first diagonally going one way, and then diagonally going the opposite way. Place colorful tacks along each ribbon strand at approximately six inch intervals (depending on the board size).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are a school teacher, make sure to ask the fabric or sewing store if they offer teacher discounts. Many of them do, but you won't know unless you ask.

[SimplyFrugal]

on 7/27/2009 I like the idea of adding ribbon to the bulletin board- thank you!