Crafts for the Masses Part 3 - Ribbon Memo Boards

Some people refer to these as "French" memo boards, but I don't know if they have any origin in France.  Perhaps I should call them "Freedom" memo boards.  (But I guess "freedom fries" never caught on, so that might not work."  ;-p)  These are handy for displaying pictures or keeping notes.  If you use a seasonal fabric, these boards could be a good way to display Christmas cards.  You could also find fun kids fabrics to coordinate with the decor of your kid's room.

Supplies needed:

1. 15” x 20” Fabric

2. 13” x 18” quilt or craft batting

3. 3/8” wide ribbon (8 feet)

4. 10” x 15” Foam board

5. Buttons or embellishments (optional)

6. Hot glue

7. Duct tape

8. Glue dots (optional)

9. Picture hanger

We purchased the foam board at Michael’s. They come in 20” x 30” boards and we cut them into four boards for our project. We purchased the picture hangers at OSH.  For the fabric, we got donations of remnants from various members of our group.  There were many women who had odd bits of fabric that worked perfectly for our project.  You can also find "fat quarters" of fabric on sale (usually used by quilters) that are the perfect size for this project.

Instructions:

1. Place fabric wrong side facing up on table.

2. Place batting in center of fabric.

3. Place foam board in center of batting.

4. Attach batting and fabric to board using glue gun or duct tape.  It works best if you attach one side, then attach the opposite side, pulling the fabric and batting firmly, but evenly across as you glue or tape.

5. Take your ribbon and cut two 22” strips and four 13” strips.

6. Use the two long ribbons to form and “X” on the front of the memo board. Secure the “X” by hot gluing or taping it onto the back side of the board.

7. Use the four shorter ribbons to form a diamond pattern on the front of your board. Secure the diamond by attaching the ends of the ribbons with hot glue or duct tape onto the back side of the board.

8. Put strips of tape along the border of the back of the board to completely cover the fabric and ribbon ends.

9. Using either hot glue or glue dots, tack down the ribbon to the fabric and the ribbons to each other at each point where the ribbons cross.

10. If desired, use hot glue to attach buttons or embellishments to the points where the ribbons cross on the front of the board.

11. Attach a picture hanger to the back of the board using a dot of hot glue.

If you want to "upgrade" this project, you can use an artist's canvas for the backing instead of foam board.  You would then use a staple gun, upholstery tacks, or small nails to secure your batting, fabric and ribbons to the canvas frame.