Shoebox: Patriotic Crafts

Materials

9" x 12" sheet of Presto sticky back felt
3" x 5" notepad with cardboard backing
glue
embellishments
scissors
ruler (preferably metal, if using a rotary cutter)
pen or pencil

not necessary but very helpful:
cutting board marked in inches
rotary cutter
metal T-square

Note: While this project can be done using only scissors, the rotary cutter, cutting board and T-square make it a whole lot easier, quicker and neater. Also, the pressure of the rotary cutter serves to help seal the edges together in the final trimming.

1. Cut the sheet of felt in half lengthways to make two 4-1/2" x 12" pieces using either a rotary cutter with cutting board and T-square or by marking with the ruler and using scissors (figure A).

2. Cut 4-1/2 inches from one end of one piece to make one 4-1/2-inch square and one piece that is 4-1/2" x 7-1/2" (figure B).

3. Cut 1/4 inch from one end of the other big piece. This largest piece is now 4-1/2" x 11-3/4".

4. On paper backing of largest piece, draw a line across the strip 4-1/2 inches from one end. Also draw lines 5/8 inch in from the three outside edges of this square (figure C).

Note: At this point, Di Di suggested peeling back the paper backing from the entire piece with the exception of this center area inside the 5/8 inch lines and using scissors to cut along those lines to separate it from the rest of the paper. I found it easier to use a craft knife to cut through the paper on all four sides of this area, being careful to cut through the paper only and not the felt. The main idea is to unpeel all of the paper with the exception of this small square (figure D).

5. Place this mostly peeled piece carefully on a flat surface, sticky side up. Be careful--it is VERY sticky!

6. Peel paper backing from the 4-1/2" x 7-1/2" piece of felt and place it carefully, sticky sides together with the long end of the larger piece. The end of the 4-1/2" x 7-1/2" piece should just overlap the remaining square of backing paper at the other end of the large felt piece (figure E).

7. On the paper backing of the remaining 4-1/2-inch square of felt, draw a line 5/8 inch in from three sides; then carefully peel back the felt and trim the paper backing on the lines as before.

8. Carefully line up the U-shaped sticky edges of the large piece of felt and the square of felt and stick them together. This should leave a pocket at one end of the cover that is "lined" with the original backing paper of the sticky felt.

9. Trim 1/4 inch off of each side of the cover to square up the edges neatly so that the finished dimensions of the cover are 4" x 11-1/2". Insert the cardboard backing of a notepad into the pocket. Then break out your favorite glue and embellishments and decorate the outside of the cover in any way you choose.

It was at this point that we chose to add the embellishments to give our version of Di Di's notepad holder a patriotic theme. Di Di used red felt with white trim. We made ours white with blue stripes and stars and dark blue with white stripes and stars.