really we should all be gracious
& caring & joyful & inclusive & forgiving
& sharing & humble & loving
all year round .... not just because it 'tis the season!
i try to be
so here i am on Christmas eve
sharing some hints with you all about
something i love making ...
bunting flags ... mini sized
i have long multi-coloured all different
fabric lengths of it!
& can be strung up on the 'invisible' hooks we have
strategically positioned about our family room
no crepe paper streamers in our house!
that has been used on several occasions
(but i am wondering if its jinxing the result??)
there have been many little gifts made & given
just like these ....
now gracing bedroom windows
is my 'thing' for 1st Birthdays
& i've sewn a mountain of these for my
hARTylittlepeaces market stalls
& they are also stocked at
so somewhere along the line
i may have Googled "bunting tutorial"
i can't remember ...
i usually check out google images
i salute & say 'thankyou' to everyone who shares
share their ideas ...
i've simply looked at what other people do
& then 'tweaked' it all my way!
problem solving the practical
i'm very into neat finishes .... & i love a double fold binding!
so
you can make bunting in triangles which appears to be more conventional
or other shapes like semi-circles or deep scallop shapes or squares or the like
you can simply cut the shapes & leave a raw edge or pink if you are using fabric
or you can sew them face to face ....
or not use fabric but paper or card or plastic instead
there are endless options
like there are endless sizes
i came up with my version a long time ago
here's how it goes...
i cut my triangles by way of cutting
wof - width of fabric strips
i then have a scallop template that makes
slicing the triangles super quick!
yep ... letting out all my secrets here ...
then .... mostly these triangles are sewn rst - right sides together
in matching fabrics but of course you know
sometimes i mix it up!
turn them out & press
not rocket science but is best to be precise
to be sure you end up with flags the same size!
& before you know it you'll have a nice little stash!!
(well ... its little for me!)
now for the binding ...
since this binding is not required to perform twists & turns
cutting wof strips is fine .... join
you've worked out how many flags you wish to string
& then work out how far apart you'd like to space them
make you binding double fold
that means .... press it in half
then open & press the raw edges into the centre press fold
... it will end up 4 layers thick ... make sense?
i use a gadget ... super quick once again
the bunting i make to sell have 12 flags
so here's a combo with 3 fabrics ... all Christmas-y of course!
binding to match
i do suggest that you choose your fabrics carefully
small prints are best, i love a dot as you know
but watch when you're cutting that if you have a one directional design
... well some of it is going to be upside down
now ... my suggestion is that you just don't go there
as i see it as a bit of a waste of fabric really
ok ...now line up your components
in fact it really helps to set up the flags in a pile ready to go
that is ... in order ...
or you may find you sew in by accident 2 spotty red ones ... oooops!?
save you the un-picking!
here we go
i sew a length of 'ribbon' binding ....
then i start to insert the flags ...
so be sure to have the binding opening facing left
stitch away
you can see my flag spacing here
about the distance from needle to the edge of the bobbin plate
12 flags later & i add in my hARTylittlepeaces tag
ready for action ... or gifting!
but perhaps you'd like a no-sew version!??
here are a few hundred i cut recently for
i bought a couple of Christmas themed
scrap booking paper pads
each square piece i cut in half vertically
then each half was folded across the short side
hole punched twice
then the trick with stringing these bad boys
is
to use a kind of 'hairy' twine or something with some texture
why? so that the paper doesn't slip & slide along
you can see here they are hung parralel all along the width of our hall
what makes this so effective is the 'on-mass' approach
then you need to try to hang it all as taught as possible
so simple & it works & is amazingly effective!
again this idea & process has been
my own problem solving applications
& lots of years of working with large groups of children
& settings where a mass application has been the solution
so just as a final note
just like everyone who shares
ideas & concepts on their blogs etc
they are intended for you to use for personal reasons
not for reproducing for personal gain
so please on my behalf
& for all those generous souls that enrich our lives
sharing on their blogs & sites all over our globe
please respect these wishes
on a note of wishing ... 'tis the season!
i wish for you and your family
a truly joyous, sparkly, happy, giving time
this Christmas
let us celebrate the birth of Christ our Saviour
pray for peace & grace in our world
Happy Christmas!!
& there is still time to whip up some bunting ....
