Pocketfolds

As per request by my fellow w@wies, I'm sharing the step-by-step instruction on how I made my pocketfolds.

Materials for the pocketfold:

1. Paper - actually it is a board paper which is in the size of a cartolina when i bought it. I found it at Techbros Inc., one of the stores along Yuchengco St., Binondo, Manila. I have cut a 18" x 9" piece using scissors first for this project.

2. Paper Cutter - I saw this at Office Wareshouse. It is a paper cutter with 4 blades: cut, fold, wave cut, and perforate. For this project, I've used the cut, fold and wave cut.

3. Double adhesive tape - available in any bookstore. The one I used was about an inch wide just because I haven't bought yet a thinner one. hehe! A thinner one would be easier to use for this project.

4. Scissors

Instructions:

1. Since the paper I used in this project comes in the same size as a cartolina, the first thing i did was to cut it to a manageable size. for my pocket folds i'm starting at a 18" x 9" of board paper as shown above. (about 2 inches larger than my target size so that i will still have allowance for trimming the edges).

2. My paper cutter only fits up to an A4 size paper so the board paper won't fit on it lengthwise. what I did was to start at the middle of the board paper. (I just estimated where the middle is and made sure is was more or less perpetndicular to the cutter)

3. I used the "fold" blade to make a fold line at he middle of my board paper.

4. I then folded the paper on the "fold" line I just made. use a bone folder or the flat sides of a scissors to flatten the folds.

5. I returned the already folded paper to the cutter, this time, aligning the flolded area at the at the edge the paper cutter. (this makes sure that the sides will be perfectly perpendicular with the fold you just made)

6. I trimmed both sides of the board paper by using the "straight" blade. the width of your pocketfold will depend on what will be the size of your invites. in my case, the width of my pocketfold is 7 inches, because I intend to use a 6 3/4 by 5 inches card for the main invite.

7. The next step is to create the outer flap and the pocket. The upper half is where the outer flap will be and the lower half is where the pocket will be. to create the outer flap on the upper half of the board paper, measure on the paper cutter 5 1/4 inches from the center fold. then, use the "fold" blade to make a fold line 5 1/4 inches from the center fold. From that new fold line, measure 3 inches, which will serve as your outer flap, and then cut it. you can use the "straight" blade or the "wave" blade to cut the edge of the flap.

8. Do the same for the lower half of the board to create the pocket, but this time measure 5 inches only from the centerfold, then 3 inches for the pockets. you can also use the "straight" blade or the "wave" blade to cut the edge of the flap that will be folded into a pocket.

9. Now, that everything is marked with fold lines and all sides cut, it's now time to fold away. fold the lower flap, upper flap and the center fold. use a bone-folder or edge of scissors to flatten the folds well.

10. To make the pockets, use a double adhesive tape. cut a thin strip of double adhesive tape and stick it to the side edges of the lower flap intended to serve as pockets. it depends on you how thin you want your adhesives, but you must consider the size of the inserts that you want to put on the pocket. (i am intending to use a 4 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches cards for my Reception and Entourage cards that will be inserted in the pocket, so i used about a 1/8 inch strip of double adhesive tape. my main invite will be in 6 3/4 by 5 inches size and will be pasted / glued / sticked inside of the 7 by 5 1/4 inches area just below the outer flap)

11. do the same to the edges opposite the side pocket edges.

12. Remove the protective paper of the double adhesive tape and fold the pocket flap up to bring the side edges together. use a bone-folder or edge of scissors to press on the adhesive. you must use double adhesives in both opposite sides of the paper you are joining, to have a better hold.

Now you have your pocketfold. you can use your creativity on the belly bands or seals of your pocket fold. mine was created using a wide ribbon and a piece of 2x2 board paper where i will be putting our seal or monogram.

I cannot show you a finish product with the inserts in it as i have not yet made the inserts.

I hope my instructions were easy to understand and helpful to those who wanted to make their own pocketfolds. please feel free to leave a comment or ask questions regarding this project. =)