A Bunting We Will Make
When I first set out to make decorations for an upcoming baby shower, I had no idea that what I wanted for decoration was called a bunting. So first, a definition:
bunt·ing 1 (b
n
t
ng)
- A light cotton or woolen cloth used for making flags.
- Flags considered as a group.
- Strips of cloth or material usually in the colors of the national flag, used especially as drapery or streamers for festive decoration.
The couple is having a girl, and I chose my color scheme based on a home decorating textile found at Joann’s – a modern floral with bright and muted yellows and pinks, lemongrass green and a rich, chocolate brown.
Many of the examples of buntings I’d seen were chevron-shaped, but I’ve always been in love with the simple, modern shape of a square. I cut 6″ x 6″ squares, adding a 1/2″ seam allowance on one side for attaching to a strand of jute twine. Strung along the wall of an indoor or outdoor area, this decoration gives a festive burst of color, perfect for celebrations. It also would make a beautiful nursery decoration if shortened, and strung with ribbon instead of twine.
Here’s what you need:
- 1/3 yd each of six different fabrics (yardage needed will depend on space you are decorating – mine was large. If you are wanting to make something small, do 1/6 of a yard for each)
- rotary cutter, rotary mat and Omnigrip (wonderful if you are a quilter and have these already, otherwise use a ruler and scissors)
- jute twine
- Stitch Witchery by Dritz
- iron & ironing board
Here’s what you do:
- Use your rotary cutter, mat and quilting ruler (or scissors and ruler) to cut 6.5′ x 6″ squares out of your fabrics. This is done extremely fast and precise with a rotary cutter and mat, so I’d invest in these tools if you work with fabrics a lot!
- Choose a sequence for hanging your squares. I gave mine a bit of variety by shifting the position of the inspiration print throughout the sequence.
- Attach squares to jute twine, tearing off approximately 6″ pieces of your stitch witchery as you go, and spacing the squares 3″ apart. To get uniform spacing, cut a business card to a 3″ length and use as a guide to mark placement of your next square – fast and easy!
- Hang and admire your craftiness!
Tips: Buy fabric on sale, or better yet, shop only the clearance fabrics! Joann’s was having an extra 50% off clearance fabrics sale that I took advantage of – the inspiration fabric was the only one not on clearance, but it was still 40% off! And don’t forget to check the remnants section – there’s usually some pretty great stuff in there that is less than a yard and 50% off the current sticker price. Stitch Witchery can be found at your local craft or hobby store, as well as places like Walmart. Jute twine was purchased at the Dollar Tree. Always remember, shop sales, discount stores and use coupons!
What do you think?