the thrifty crafter

I’ve posted a fabric bunting before and, truth be told, this is one of my favorite ways to decorate a space for a get together.  For the upcoming 4th of July holiday, I thought pennant-shaped pieces of fabric in the colors of our national flag were a perfect way to decorate the front of our house.  I chose red and blue textural fabrics from Joann’s clearance and remnant sections, then added some heavy, white linen (formerly Ikea curtains) from my scrap bin at home.  If you’re familiar with my posts, you know how much I love my jute twine, and I used that to string the flags.  White cording would also be fabulous here, but as a thrifty crafter, I try to use what I’ve got at home before buying new materials!

Here’s what you need:

• 1/3 yd each of four different fabrics (yardage needed will depend on space you are decorating – mine was 20 feet across)
• rotary cutter, rotary mat and Omnigrip (so fast and easy 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:

1. Use your rotary cutter, mat and quilting ruler (or scissors and ruler) to cut triangular pennants that are 9 inches tall and 6 inches at the base. 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!

   

2. Choose a sequence for hanging your flags.  I gave mine a bit of variety by shifting the position of  the red brocade print throughout the sequence.

   

3. Attach pennants to jute twine by folding base edge over and securing with 5″ pieces of strip adhesive.     Following the instructions on the back of the Stitch Witchery package,  place your iron on “Wool” setting and iron over folded edge for at least 10 seconds.  Check to be sure it is secure and repeat as necessary (various fabrics will differ in how much time is needed).  Be sure to place the corners of the triangles closely together as you go.