fabric-covered notice board help please!

[Tommy]

Thinking about making one of these for DS1's room. I have found some instructions on Pinterest (my first foray there) but just need to ask: Is there some reason why the diagonal criss-cross ribbons are on them? I can see that you can slip bits of paper, photos etc in them but are they really necessary if you are going to use it as a pin board?
All advice welcome for this newbie crafter - thanks

[GemmaTeller]

I've made a couple of these with the crisscross ribbon on.

If you keep pinning stuff straight into fabric I think its going to discolour/fray/expand into a hole.

Mine are a few years old new but still look like new.

[Tommy]

ah - good point Gemma, thanks. Do you pin anything onto them or just use the ribbon to keep things in place?

[GemmaTeller]

I got cork notice boards from the cheap/pound shop, covered the front with 1/2 inch wadding, covered that with gingham fabric which overlapped the back and was stapled into place, then put the ribbon on (stapled at the back) and where it crossed over at the front pushed through one of those 'butterfly' pins where you can push them through then open them out flat (does that make sense? I'm sure they have a proper name)

[GemmaTeller]

Split pin paper fasteners

[Tommy]

I know them!
thanks - do you use drawing pins or anything to put your photos etc on when it's finished?

[Itsjustafleshwound]

I just bought some board from a timber shop, bought some calico/seedcloth. Cut the board to the shape, stretched over the seedcloth and stapled it at the back. Used bolts to attach to the wall and used some silicon to hold to the wall.

I use it to hang up posters, calenders and it hasn't torn.

[Frettchen]

I've made two of these without the cris-crossed ribbons. Haven't noticed any holes or fraying yet; but they've only been up 6 months at the most, and there's not been a lot of pinning and unpinning. I can see how frequent use might lead to deterioration depending on the fabric used. Mine are made from an old duvet cover.

Gemma do you mean brads ? I call them split-pins too, but apparently they also go by a different name. It might be an American thing though...

[GemmaTeller]

Yes, brads, I just pushed them through to secure the ribbon and opened them flat at the back (I did put some tape over to secure them)

No drawing pins - by putting the brads through it secures and tightens the ribbon so you just slot your photos cards etc through the ribbon.

They look like this:

pinterest.com/pin/166492517444454785/

This is how your cards/photos etc would look:

pinterest.com/pin/443534263271540304/

[Tommy]

thank you! very helpful