Transform an old or inexpensive ring binder to make a very special gift - or as a place for your daughter to keep her best work and other precious memories.
You will need:
Old ring binder
Enough fabric to cover the binder
Scraps of ribbon and lace
Fabric glue
Pinking shears
Cut a piece of fabric that is about an inch bigger than the ring binder on each side.
Spread a thin layer of fabric glue all over the front of the binder. Stick on the fabric, pulling tight to remove lumps and wrinkles. Trim the edges of the fabric with pinking shears (to prevent fraying) to about ½ an inch bigger that the binder. Put a thin layer of glue around the edges of the inside of the binder. Fold in the edges to secure the fabric in place.
To create neat corners; firstly fold in a triangle at the corner:
Then fold in one seam:
And then the other:
Your binder should now look nice and neat, like this:
To decorate the file, lie scraps of ribbon and lace down the length of the binder. Fold in the edges neatly and glue to the inside of the binder.
If you are going to give the binder as a gift, perhaps you could add a special tag?
