Envelope tutorial

With the holidays coming, and with so many people trying to make their own gifts this year, I thought it might be cool to post a tutorial on making your own envelopes with self-adhesive seals.

You will need:

• Double stick fusible web & an iron
• Card stock
• Double-sided tape (if you’re not immediately sealing the envelope, I recommend using tape that has a removable protective strip on one side)
• Envelope (to use as a template)

1. Carefully pull apart the glued seams of an envelope so that it is one flat piece.

2. Lay the envelope down on a piece of card stock and use a pencil to trace around it. Part of the fun of this project is selecting what style of card stock you want to use. Choosing one that has a cool pattern on both sides means your recipient will get a little unexpected treat when they open your envelope. Make sure to draw your pencil line on the side of the card stock that will end up being the inside of the envelope.

3. Cut out the envelope along the line. When you’re done, erase any visible pencil lines. 

4. Using a ruler to help you get a straight line, fold all the flaps inward.

5. Cut strips of double-stick fusible web. The strips need to properly fit the edges of the flaps that you want to permanently seal (probably every flap except the top one).

After you’ve cut a strip of fusible web, peel one side of the liner off, throw it away, and stick the piece of web (sticky side down) onto the appropriate location of your envelope. Fusible web doesn’t permanently adhere until you iron it, so reposition as necessary.

Note: You can use glue for this part, but I highly recommend using fusible web instead. It’s much less sloppy and you won’t end up with sticky thumb marks all over your finished piece.

6. Once the fusible web is positioned correctly, remove the second layer of liner, throw it away, and fold the flaps over. 

7. Cover the envelope with a piece of thin fabric to protect the card stock from the iron. Iron the envelope for 10-15 seconds to permanently set the fusible web into place.

Note: To avoid ironing creases into the envelope, do not press or push the iron into the envelope. Instead, just let it sit on top of it. The weight of the iron and the heat will be enough to adhere the fusible web.

8. Cut a piece of double-sided tape slightly shorter than the length of the envelope’s top flap.

9. Adhere the sticky side of the tape to the envelope’s top flap. If you’re not immediately sealing it, do not remove the protective strip on the second side.

Voila! You’ve got yourself a very sturdy homemade envelope.

If you don’t feel like going through all those steps, here’s another suggestion for creating a unique envelope with a personal touch. Take an existing envelope and use decorative card stock to dress it up. Here’s one that I made for a friend of mine. I wanted the envelope to match the card, so I used fusible web to create a coordinating design on the plain brown envelope.

Consider trying fusible web. I think you’ll really enjoy it. It’s much less messy than glue and very easy to work with. Have fun!

(Reminder — Fat Orange Cat: The Boutique is now open. Happy shopping!)