How to Make a Padded Bulletin Board

When mail, fliers, coupons and sticky notes threaten to overtake your kitchen, bedroom or work space, you need a bulletin board. Padded, fabric covered bulletin boards with ribbons criss-crossed over the surface are a nice alternative to bare corkboard covered in pushpins. Creating your own padded bulletin board takes minimal supplies and allows you to choose your board's size, pattern and color.

Things You'll Need

• Homasote, plywood or corkboard, 23-by-36 inches Quilt batting, 25-by-38 inches Decorative fabric, 31-by-44 inches Stapler or staple gun Staples Ruler Pencil 10 yards of 1/2 inch thick ribbon Two D rings Picture hanging wire

Instructions

1. Creating a Padded Bulletin Board

   • 1
     Lay the quilt batting flat on your work surface. Place the board, centered, on top. Pull the batting over the edges of the board and staple tightly into place along all four sides. Fasten the corners last.
   • 2
     Place the padded board, centered, on top of the fabric with the back still facing you. Pull the fabric over the edges of the board and staple with the stapler. Make sure the fabric is snug, but not so tight that the board loses its padded look and feel.
   • 3
     Using the ruler and pencil, mark parallel diagonal lines across the board in both directions at approximately 5 or 6 inch intervals. This should create a diamond-shaped pattern of criss-crossed lines.
   • 4
     Working with one ribbon at a time, lay the ribbon in the marked position and staple it the back of the board. When you begin working with ribbons in the opposite direction, weave them alternately over and under the existing ribbons.
   • 5
     Attach the D rings to the back of the board by screwing them in (screws should come with the D rings). Make sure that they are at the same height, about seven inches from the top of the board, with one on each side, about three inches from the edge. Thread the picture hanging wire through the first D ring twice, then twist the remaining end around itself. Repeat with the other D ring. The picture wire should have just enough tension to pull upwards to a point about four inches from the top of the board.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use any size board in creating this project, simply adjust the measurements so that the batting is about 2 inches longer and wider than the board and the fabric is about 8 inches longer on all sides. If you are having trouble keeping the ribbons in place, consider using fabric glue along the edges and at the points where the ribbons cross.