While trying to come up with an easy, inexpensive
Mother's Day present this year, I decided to make mini cloth-covered photo
albums for my mother and mother-in-law. These instructions apply to any size
photo album--you just have to measure the album to get an idea how much fabric
you're going to need.
Materials:
3-ring binder/photo album (doesn't have to be
new--you are going to be covering it)
Pages for photos (add when album is finished,
or you might get glue on them)
1 large sheet white poster board
1 can spray adhesive (3M works well)
Craft glue or glue gun
Scissors and/or rotary fabric cutter
Fabrics — 1 piece long enough to cover the
outside of the album, and 2 pieces to cover each of inside covers. Allow extra
inch to fold over edges of album.
You will need three pieces of fabric. You want
the piece on the outside of the album to be one piece that folds around the
outside of the album. Leave 1 inch of material around the edges.
Use spray adhesive (available at most craft
stores) to glue the fabric. Make sure to lay newspapers all around you and spray
carefully or you'll end up with a big sticky mess. Also try not to let your
fabric stick to the newspaper. Spray the glue directly on the outside of the
album- -one side first, then the spine, then the other side. Smooth the fabric
as you go, gently smoothing out any wrinkles quickly before it dries (you have a
few minutes).
You should now have the outside totally covered
with fabric with 1 inch extra all around the edges of the album. Glue the extra
inch of material on the sides down to the inside of the album. Now fold the top
and bottom edges down and glue in place. The inside of the spine will still be
visible after the inside covers are in place, so fold the extra inch at the
spine in half first, then again and glue in place. The remaining exposed top and
bottom edges will be covered with the inside covers.
The next step is to make the inside covers. Cut 2
pieces of poster board approximately 1/8-inch smaller (on all sides) than the
inside covers of the photo album. Make sure to lay them in the photo album after
you cut them to make sure they're the right size. You want to make sure the
album can still open and close easily when they're in place. Cut 2 pieces of
fabric to be 1/2-inch bigger (on all sides) than the pieces of poster board.
Using spray adhesive, glue each piece of poster board to a square of fabric.
Fold over the remaining 1/2 inch of fabric on the top, bottom, and sides, and
glue to the back of the poster board. You should now have completed inside
covers with no exposed fabric edges. Using spray adhesive, glue the inside
covers into the inside front and inside back of the photo album, again making
sure the album can open and close easily. You're done! Now you can add the pages
for the photos.
Here are some more options:
If the album is big enough, you can cover a
photo mat with fabric and glue it in the center of the front of the album. You
can purchase the mat already cut, or you can make your own out of extra poster
board, making it any size you want.
If you want to have lace around the edges,
glue the lace around the edges of the album after covering the front of the
album with fabric, and before gluing in the inside covers. The inside covers
will hide the bottom edge of the trimming. Glue in place with craft glue or a
glue gun.
Embellish the cover with appliqués, beads, and
silk flowers. Glue in place with craft glue or a glue gun.
After you practice on one of these albums, you'll
see how easy it is and you'll be able to see all the millions of possibilities.
These albums can as fancy or simple as you want, and can cost a lot or next to
nothing. I made one for my sister as a wedding present that cost about $50 after
I bought the nice fabric, appliqués, lace, etc. For Mother's Day however,
I found some mini photo albums on sale 2 for $3. They hold up to 4 x 6
photos. I'm going to find a photo to cut down a bit to on the front cover,
one for my family and one for my husband's. If I get in a bind for time I
will try to find some fabric on sale (should only require approximately 1/2 yard
each for the small albums.) If I have time I'll do a little yard
sale shopping and try to pick up some fabric that way. If you sew or do many
crafts, you may already have some fabric on hand. It's also a good idea to stock
up on different sized albums when they're on sale. Keep on the lookout for extra
trimmings on sale and at yard sales. Don't forget the unconventional, like
sequins and buttons. These thoughtful albums make great gifts for all occasions.
Rachel Paxton
is a freelance writer and mom who publishes the Creative Homemaking Recipe of
the Week Club, a weekly newsletter that contains quick, easy dinner ideas and
money-saving household hints. To subscribe send a blank e-mail message to
FreeRecipes-subscribe@egroups.com.
