Cloth Lining | philsbunker

Adding Cloth Lining to a Box

Adding cloth lining to a box adds a wonderful touch and raises the perception of your project. It is suprisingly simple to do. Here's how I add a lining to the lid of a box.

Materials and tools:

Cloth. The heavier the better. I like velvet.
Card stock or similar stiff material. I like art mat board because I have lots of pieces left over from framing some prints.
Contact Cement.
Scissors.
Knife (box cutter works fine).
Cutting board.
Straight edge for cutting.

In the picture below you can see the tools and several stages of the process.

First, you cut a piece of the card stock to be about 1/16" smaller than the space you are putting it in. You may need to experiment with the actual size depending on the thickness of the cloth.

Next, you cut out a piece of your cloth approximately 1/2" larger than the card on all four sides. Now, spread contact cement on the card. Also, put some contact cement on the back of the cloth. Be very sparing as too much glue can soak through to the other side of the cloth. If that happens, toss the fabric and cut a new piece. Follow the contact cement instructions - let the glue dry for a few minutes and then place the card carefully in the center of the cloth. It will look like the picture above.

Now, cut the corners of the cloth leaving a tiny bit of cloth at the corner as you can see in the picture below.

You are now ready to glue the flaps of the cloth. Use contact cement on both the cloth flaps and the card. You don't need to put glue in the very center of the card, just where the cloth will fold to. Wait for the cement to dry and fold the flaps over, making sure they are fairly tight. You should now have something that looks like the photo below.

Now, you should be able to press the cloth lined card into the opening. The fit should be snug and not forced. If it's a bit loose, you can glue it though with a good snug fit, glue isn't necessary.