Framed Fabric Memo Board

February 23, 2015

Greetings and Salutations! Jennifer here, with a project perfect for giving a pretty new life to some old frames you might have laying around.
It seems there was a time in my life where I was gifted quite a few frames of all shapes, sizes, and finishes. This particular frame just never seemed to fit anywhere or any picture in my home, until I stopped thinking about it as a frame and started thinking about it as part of something much better: a pretty, padded, organizer or memo board!

While I played up the delicate Victorian look of this frame, you can do this with any frame, fabric, and ribbon that suits your decor style. In addition to the frame, fabric, and ribbon, you'll need some low-loft batting (the type made for baby quilts is ideal), scissors, and Helmar Fabric Glue.
Open up the back of your frame and remove the glass and any matting or placeholder images. You'll be working directly on the chipboard backing of the frame for this, but if you've just got the frame and nothing else, you'll need to cut a piece of cardboard or foam board to fit the frame snugly.
Cut a piece of your batting just slightly smaller than the backing of your frame. It doesn't have to be exact, just get it close enough. We don't want it going all the way to all edges because it will make putting the frame back together more difficult.

Cut 2-3 more pieces of batting, each slightly smaller than the last and stack them up on the back of your frame, centering them the best you can. Then secure each layer with a bit of Helmar Fabric Glue.
Cut a final layer of batting, this time big enough to cover the stack of batting already in place and meet the edges of the frame backing. Glue this layer in place along the outside edge of the backing, keeping it as even as possible. This layer smooths out the appearance of the layers underneath and gives the fabric a good base.
Repeat the same process with your fabric of choice, centering the design if that's important to you, and gluing down the edges over the batting stack. If there's a little overhang on this layer it's okay–you can trim it down later if you think it might show or pose a problem hanging, etc.
Arrange your ribbon diagonally across your padded board, crossing at whatever intervals feel right for the size of your frame. Since my frame is meant for a 5×7 photograph, I only needed four ribbons, if you're frame is bigger you'll need more, but try to keep the parallel lines of ribbons no farther than 6 inches apart, even on the biggest frame.
Glue the ribbons in place starting with where they cross and gluing the overlaps together, then secure the crossed ribbons to the fabric below. A little of Helmar Fabric Glue goes a long way in this instance, so just little dabs are all that's needed. Once the centers are secure, then glue down the ends to the edge of the backing.
Now you can add any beads, buttons, or bows to your memo board you want, using them to dress us where the ribbons cross or create a little decorative cluster in a corner or the center if that's what floats your boat. Again, a small frame can easily become overloaded, so I ended up just using some sheer bows and calling it a day.
Put your frame back together and you're done! If your frame is the standing kind, this can become a pretty way to display jewelry or notes on your dressing table, or you can hang it over a desk as an organizer for all the fun bits of ephemera that tend to accumulate around us.
Wishing you creative days,