Professional crafter Mary Ann Hoffman uses leftover wedding fabric and plastic foam to create a wedding memento box.
Tips for Working With Foam:
Place the oam sheet on the work surface so that the sheet extends over the edge of the counter. Position a serrated kitchen knife perpendicular to the floor, and move the knife in a sawing motion up and down through the foam.
"Sand" the edges by rubbing a scrap piece of foam against them. This technique can be used to straighten edges that weren't cut perfectly straight or to smooth the edges (figure A).
Always use a low-temperature glue gun. High temperatures will melt the foam.
Materials:
1/2"-thick plastic foam sheets (available in 12" or 36" lengths) Serrated kitchen knife Low-temp glue gun Cardboard Leftover fabric from the lining of the bride's dress Batting Putty knife Paper Pencil Permanent marker
Cut a foam square for the bottom and four rectangular pieces for the sides of the box to the desired size, using a serrated kitchen knife. The sides of the box are approximately 2" high.
Apply a bead of low-temp hot glue to the edge of the bottom square of the box, and glue the four side pieces to the bottom (figure B).
Cut a piece of fabric long enough to go around the sides of the box and wide enough to cover the height of the box. Fold over to the inside and bottom of the box. We used leftover lining fabric from the bride's dress. Begin covering the box with fabric by applying a bead of low-temp hot glue to one corner of the side of the box (figure C). Stick the fabric strip to the glue, and wrap the fabric around all four sides of the box. For a finished edge, turn the end of the fabric under 1/2" where it meets at the corner, and glue it down (figure D).
Fold the fabric over the top edge of the box, and glue it to the inside all the way around, mitering the corners (figure E). Fold the fabric to the bottom and glue in place.
Cover with fabric a piece of cardboard cut slightly smaller than the bottom of the box. Glue it to the bottom of the box, hiding the fabric overlap glued to the bottom (figure F).
Cut strips of cardboard to fit the inside of the box along the sides. The inside sides should be about 1/4" shorter than the foam sides. Cover the cardboard strips with fabric, and glue them to the inside of the box (figure G).
Make a bottom for the inside of the box by covering a piece of cardboard with batting and fabric and gluing it to the box (figure H).
To give the top of the box a quilted look, select a quilt pattern that you like. The love-knot pattern (figure I) was chosen for this project. Trace the pattern onto paper. Cut a piece of foam the same size as the bottom of the box. Transfer the pattern to the foam by placing the paper over the foam and tracing over the lines with a pencil, pressing hard to make indentations in the foam. If desired, go over the lines on the foam with a permanent marker.
Cut the paper pattern apart to create templates for the fabric pieces. Add 1/4" around each template. The added fabric will be pushed into the foam.
Starting at the center, place the fabric piece that corresponds with the pattern in the center onto the foam. Use a putty knife to press the fabric into the foam along the edge of the fabric. Press the opposite edge into the foam. Then press the remaining sides of the fabric piece into the foam. Use the tip of the putty knife to push in the corners (figure J).
Continue adding fabric pieces until the design is complete (figure K).
Cut pieces of fabric to border the design, with additional fabric to fold back to the inside of the box top. Glue the fabric around the edges to the inside of the box top. Cut another piece of foam 1" smaller on all sides than the box top, cover it with fabric, and glue it to the inside of the box top. It will keep the lid from sliding off the box (figure L).
Decorate the box with lace, pearls, ribbon or other embellishments of your choice. If you wish to border the design with pearls, use a toothpick and thick white glue to push the pearls into the corners.
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