Last London Lady: Upholster Your Portfolio

Right now at school is crunch time for me. I have my senior portfolio due next week, which is one of the most important projects of my school career. I have to document and photo all of my pieces, and most importantly I want to do it in a style that exudes me. So that when the board opens it up they understand what my style is as a designer. To do this I new I wanted color, so I bought a gorgeous burnt orange leather backed folder from Office Depot, and ordered a canvas based Ikat material from a store online (If you order a sample you will get more than enough material and for cheap!). Steer clear from any silk Ikat, it is not a very tactible material. However it all seemed too bland, and this is where I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a tutorial on how to upholster the inside of your portfolio. Presentation is everything, especially in design, so I new I wanted to give my portfolio the pop of color it needed.

To begin, measure the back side of your folder, making sure to slip an inch of the ruler into the folder so that you have extra fabric for when we do step 2. My folder I measure 9"x9".

Next make sure and iron your fabric. This will be the only chance you get to do it.

Next, flip your fabric over and iron down a half inch flap on the three sides that will be exposed. So that means the fabric that will be tucked into the flap does not need to have this done.

Next tuck your fabric into the flap and set it into place where you will be gluing it. Making sure not to have any of the fabric overlap the outskirt of the folder. Then, peel back the fabric and apply a fabric glue with a strong bond onto the folder where you will be gluing your fabric.