Sunday, July 28, 2013

A Box Finish

Today I woke up to a bright and sunny Sunday morning.  A perfect morning!  I thought I would share with all of you how I do my box finishes.  It all started with Angela's box, from Hooked on Stitches.  This will be my third box so far this year and now I have requests to make more! My brother wants one with some sort of moose/deer or hunting theme.  If anyone has a good monochromatic design that fits a hunting theme could you let me know?!

So here's a mini tutorial.

Step 1: Buy box! I usually get my boxes at the dollar stores although I have purchased one at Michael's.  It would be good to sand it down first before painting. I have yet to do this! I just found some sandpaper in my hubby's tool box so I'll be using it for the next box I do.

Step 2: Disassemble box by taking off all the hinges with a little screwdriver and set aside in a cup or bowl so you don't loose the tiny screws.  The clasp part of the box doesn't come off so you will have to paint carefully around those pieces.  If you do get paint on the hinges, don't panic.  Take a q-tip and some water and dab off the paint.  Start applying paint with a medium, regular paintbrush (you can get this at Michael's), using a craft paint.  I usually give the box 2-3 coats, letting each coat dry before I apply another coat. You can also use a glossy paint for a nice finish but those are more expensive.



Step 3: If you don't use a glossy paint, then you can spray hobby craft enamel over the paint.  I usually take the box outside to do this because there are so many warning signs on the can!! Let the box dry completely to touch before attaching any sort of stitching/fabric onto the box.

Step 4: This step can vary depending on if you want to put your design directly on the top of the box, or if you want a more raised look, like the Ink Circles box I made.  For this design, I used some batting on top for a more cushy look. I used some craft glue to attach the batting to the top of the box.



Step 5: Attach your design with a craft glue. I used a toothpick to apply the glue along the sides of the top of the box and made sure my design was square before gluing down the sides.  I folded the edges like I would wrapping a present. I added a little glue to the triangled edges to make sure they stuck to the fabric on the sides.





Step 6: Embellishment!  The fun part!! To hide those unseemly edges of fabric, add a ribbon, lace, or flat embellished cording. After attaching the sides with glue, I looked at my assortment of ribbons and played around with a few options.  I settled on a purple ribbon but decided it was too plain and added buttons on top of the ribbon.  I think it turned out great! 








Last step is to reattach the hinges and screws into the box and there you have it, the box finish!




Stay tuned and I will be back with the twisted ribbon finish!
 


(Edited to include Annie's questions!!)



31 comments:

Sarah in Stitches said...

So cute! Thanks for the tutorial - I'll keep it in mind if I find a nice box. :D

Parsley said...

Well done! Love seeing new ways for me to finish pieces!

Melissa said...

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the tutorial! I love the finish and that linen is so pretty!

Ele said...

So cute!

Linda said...

Thanks for the finishing tips. Love the box.

Linda

Mouse said...

yup that's one way to do it too ... and very prettily done, love the colours on the life's a stitch :) ... i recognize those buttons now ..lol...
I have waxed my boxes with normal furniture bees wax and then used some foam core board with some wadding on top and glue that down to the box after I have laced the stitched work to it :)that means I can use pins to pop the ribbon or ric rak on if I wish :) hope that makes sense ... looking forward to seeing the twisted ribbon finish as this one I haven't tried :) love mouse xxxxxx

Annie said...

Lovely way to do a finish. Thanks for the directions.
Questions:
1) Did you take off all hinges and clasp first? Was that hard to do? 2) What kind of paint brush did you use?
3) I can't tell how you folded down the sides of the fabric so neatly. Can you describe that process?

Just gave you more work! ;-)

gracie said...

Very nice way to cover the box.

Mary said...

Thanks for a great tutorial, Anne.
Your stitching and trim are sweet.

Ellen said...

Well done, I love the box!

Hugs,

Margaret said...

Ok, I need to bookmark this for sure. Thanks for this tutorial! I'm hopeless when it comes to finishing ideas. I love how you finished this!!!! So you just used the ribbon to cover up the raw edges of the fabric?? So pretty!!!!! I'm going to pin this so I can always find it.

Barb said...

Thank you so much. I am a horrid finisher but with your directions, I think I could do a box!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Wonderful!

Lillie said...

You finished the box beautifully.

Annette-California said...

How Precious! I love your box. What a great way to show off your beautiful sampler:) I now get to stitch this adorable design because I received your package. Thank you very much - I too am appreciative for your tutorial. love Annette

♥ Nia said...

Nice tips! :)

cucki said...

wow so sweet <3
thank you for sharing.
big hugs x

Vickie said...

So cute! Love it. Blessing to you and Lee.

Brigitte said...

Wow, I'm definitely impressed by your finishing skills. Thanks for making this tutorial for us and be sure that I will try this finishing, too.

Dona said...

Sweet finish! Thank you for the tutorial.

Melissa said...

I love this finish Anne. No better way to finish off this stitch I think as it's a perfect place now to keep all sorts of little stitching things :)

PS: I was reading your past blog posts you linked on this post and I noticed you nearly lost your job. OH I'm just so happy everything worked out for you :) I went back to being employed (thank god) in June and that post brought back all the stress at first but then the happiness of getting a job again! Here's to the fast approaching school year ;)

Melissa

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Lovely box finish, I really like the buttons on the ribbon.

This is a nice traditional hunter piece http://www.roland-designs.com/freecharts.htm

Sally said...

That is beautiful Anne. Thank you for the tutorial.

Carol said...

Your box turned out so cute, Anne! Great tutorial and tips. I used a throw-away foam paintbrush for my box finish last month and it was so handy--no clean-up and the foam brushes are really inexpensive :) I bet we'll be seeing more box finishes from you!

Giovanna said...

It's a very pretty box, well done.

Aurelia Eglantine said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! A thousand times thank you, LOL ;) Anne, this is an AMAZING tutorial, and I can't wait to try this out for myself! I've wanted to do a box finish for *ages* (I'm talking YEARS here!), even have the box, but couldn't figure out how to make it pretty :) The ribbon you used to cover your edges is simple and *brilliant*, and the little buttons coordinate perfectly with the design; wonderful finish!!!

Cristina said...

Another lovely tuto... thanks for it!
Hugs!

Lynn said...

Adorable! Thank you so much for the tutorial. I've admired Angela's box finishes for some time now but have been hesitant to give one a go. You have made it look so easy!

Catherine said...

Adorable!!

Maggee said...

Cute as a button! Ha! I have a box waiting for me to do... Unfortunately the finished piece is too large for the box... so I have to find another piece to stitch for it! This is my second attempt... not having much luck. But thanks for sharing your technique. I will remember it for the next time! Hugs!

Valma said...

ho my ! what a beauty
wonderful box you made !
I always use box with a 'window' but your kind of box is so beautiful too
I have to show your tuto to hubby hehehe, it's always him who makes this kind of thing for me =)
it would have been a pity the travelling pattern didn't come by you =D
xxxx