autumn bunting :: a tutorial and giveaway!

i stitched up a bunch of these little autumn buntings for a market i did earlier in october. isn’t it sweet! i have since had visions of bunting sets with a different little banner for each season – wouldn’t that be a great gift for a dear friend or neighbor? i am adding this idea to my {ever-growing} handmade holiday to do list! if you would like to make some too here is a little tutorial ::

i used these old upholstery fabric sample books that i got at our local reuse market a long while back. burlap or wool felt would also work well for this project. i cut the little triangles out with pinking shears. if you are worried about fraying you can put a little fray check around the edges. i personally like a bit of fraying.

i made my own double fold bias tape from vintage linens using one of these. {here is a tutorial to make your own bias tape. it is easy. i promise!} but if making miles and miles of bias tape isn’t your thing you can use packaged wide double fold bias tape instead.

to make the letters for my buntings i created a document in microsoft publisher in a font and size that looked just right then printed it directly onto cotton fabric. there are a couple ways to do this. you can buy the printable paper from the quilters section at your local fabric store. it is pretty spendy and you only get 5 or 6 sheets per package. if you have a coupon and don’t plan to make tons of buntings this would work fine. you can also order printer ready fabric here. it is quite a bit cheaper if you will be doing a lot of fabric printing. i use freezer paper sheets that i can iron to back of my fabric so they will go through my printer. it is a little more work because i have to cut my fabric into paper sized pieces then iron the freezer paper on but i prefer this method because i do a lot of printing on fabric so this is the most economical option for me and i can use any natural fiber (cotton, linen, silk) in various weights depending on my project. also the freezer paper sheets can be used over and over!

after the letters are printed onto your fabric you will carefully cut them out in any shape – i suggest making a little cardboard stencil so they are all the same size. again, if fraying bothers you add a little fray check to the edges of your letters.

now it is time to sew it all together! start pinning your triangles and letters about 18 inches from the end of your bias tape. sandwich  your pieces between the bias tape making sure you put the tops of both pieces right up against the fold so you are sure to catch all of the pieces when you sew. when you have everything pinned in place start sewing a straight stitch at the very end of your bias tape and continue along the open edge making sure you sew through all the layers when you come to each triangle and letter. sew for another 18 inches after your last letter and cut your bias tape off on an angle and admire the adorable handmade bunting you just whipped up! that was super easy, yes? so go ahead and make one for everyone you know!

now for the GiVeAwAy! 

just for fun i have decided to send the cute bunting in this tutorial to one lucky reader! all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and i will choose a winner at random on tuesday morning {tuesday happens to be november 1st!! can you believe it?!} anyone is welcome to enter and i will get this in the mail just as soon as possible so you can display your autumn bunting all of november.

good luck, friends!

today i am linking up with gingerbread’s sweet saturday post!

comments are closed – i will announce a lucky winner later this evening!