DIY Fabric Kleenex Box Cover

Fall is right around the corner and as excited as we are about its arrival, with it comes cold and flu season.  We had a few days of fall-like temps here and our little ol’ house was instantly hit with the cold bug.  My poor baby and hubby are coughing, sniffling, sneezing…the works.  So, late last week I ran to Target to stock up on Boogie Wipes and Kleenex and caught myself staring at a shelf full of poorly designed Kleenex boxes.  None of them were even remotely congruent with our decor.  And then, it hit me.  I’d design my own snazzy cover to fit my taste perfectly.  Call me crazy, anal…whatever.  By the end of G’s naptime yesterday, I had this little treasure to behold.

Intrigued?
Here’s how I did it.

I cut five square{ish} pieces from a piece of foam board I had on hand.  So that the sides would fit together to make a box, I cut two narrow side panels and then two wider side panels into which the narrow panels would slip.  I achieved a nice snug fit (one that allows me to pick up the cover and Kleenex box as a unit without the box falling out) with the following dimensions:

Kleenex Box Dimensions
each side is 4 3/8″ wide

Foam Board Dimensions: 

narrow side panels: 4 1/2″ in width; 5 1/8″ in height
wider side panels: 4 7/8″ in width; 5 1/8″ in height

top: 4 7/8″ in width and height

In the picture below, the wider panels are at the top, the two narrower panels are in the middle and the top panel (or lid) is at the bottom.

I failed to take a picture of this step, but I cut an oval-shaped whole into the top piece identical to the one in the actual Kleenex box.  However, I made my whole a quarter of an inch smaller so that I wouldn’t see any of the actual Kleenex box edges from the outside.

Using Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue I started to glue the sides together.  I put a liberal amount of glue on each edge and pressed them into place.  Tacky Glue is pretty fabulous, so I only had to hold each panel in place for about a minute before the hold was strong enough to move to the next.

After I had all four sides glued together, I noticed that it was listing a bit to one side.  So, I propped it up against the glue bottle until it was straight and let it dry for about 15 minutes or so.  (In the following picture, you can see how my panels fit together; the two wide panels are at the top and bottom and the two narrower panels are on the left and right.)

Next, I glued on the top and gave it a few minutes to take hold.  Finally, I reinforced all of the edges, inside and out, by applying glue to each edge and running it up and down with my finger.  I let my box dry over night.

Fabric Cover Construction
1) Cut a piece of fabric that is big enough to cover all sides, plus an inch or so to fold over the edges, and place your box upside down in the center.

Choose any side to begin.
2) Pull the fabric up the side, smoothing it with your hand, and pin it into place at the top.

(To help the fabric remain in place, it might be helpful to stick two pins at the bottom, too.)

3) With your scissors, make two slits into the fold-over fabric at the corners, fold the fabric over the edge of the box and then glue it down to the inside of the box.

4) Next, take the fabric along the right edge and pull it out straight.  Then, lift it up against the edge of the box (allowing the excess to just fold in on itself, for now) to “test” what will become the first seam.  Check to make sure your temporary folded seam is tight and straight along the edge.

5) Once your satisfied with where your seam needs to be, lay the fabric back out and cut away most of the excess material.  I like to leave about an inch hanging over both sides.

 
6) Fold the vertical-running excess fabric over the side of the box and glue it down.

7) Then, pull your seam up and pin into place.

Repeat steps 4-7 with the fabric along the left edge of the first side.

Next, rotate your box so that you are looking at the side opposite to the one you started with.

Follow steps 2-7 to pin up the seams of this side.

Now is the time to adjust any of the seams, if need be — taking in any slack, for example.  When your satisfied with the seams, glue down the two remaining fold over flaps of fabric to the inside of the box and (once the glue has taken hold) remove pins.

It’s all downhill from here!

In the top of the box, cut a hole into the fabric with your scissors to start the tissue hole.  Make cuts all around the circle stopping shy of the circle’s edge by about a quarter of an inch.

Put glue along the perimeter of the hole on the inside of the box.

Using your fingers, press the fabric down into the hole, and up and under the top against the glue.

*If you have trouble getting the fabric around the circle to lay flat, make another slit in the problem area.

The cutout will look like something this on the inside:

And that’s it, friends.
Unless…you’re like me…

My final step?
Embellishments!
I went with a simply tied grosgrain ribbon in a color that coordinates with our family room.
If I’d had one on hand, I might have incorporated a Victorian-style profile brooch.

But, you know, the possibilities are endless.

Now, let’s just hope that I do more gazing at this box than I do refilling it.

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