Cry Baby Bunting..

And I could because I have just finished making my own bunting and it looks A.M.A.Z.I.N.G if I don't say so myself...and it couldn't be easier!!

There is something really lovely and special about bunting and I think it has something to do with my childhood.
Whenever something special was happening in our little town the bunting strung up from lamp post to lamp post would send out a silent alarm screaming....something special is happening!! Whether it would be the town market, or the outdoor swimming pool gala, or the flower show (Yes, it all went down in our town ha), roller disco and even the good old V.E.Day rendition – that went horribly wrong!

(I think the V.E Day rendition needs to be explained and could possibly explain a lot .... I don't know whose idea it was or why they did it but it was organised that the street in our main square would be closed and the roads lined with trestle tables, full of cake, sandwiches, and drinks to celebrate/ Commemorate V.E Day. Mum dressed us all up in Evacuee outfits (Which involved a brown hessian type coat and black shoes) and tagged us with a pin and a brown label that proudly displayed our names in big black ink!!
We arrived at the square only to find a sense of hysteria with children crying and wailing and mums trying to calm everyone, it seems the faux evacuee send off had gone horribly wrong and the children had actually assumed we were all being sent away.
After a few crisps (yes mum said we should only eat food that had come from a packet, because there were a few undesirable types in the town whose hygiene needed to be questioned) we left rather excited that we were going home, to OUR homes, to play with OUR toys and to sleep in Our own bed! I can still remember blinking up in to the evening sun at the white, red and blue bunting flapping around in the breeze and to this day you will never see Royal blue in my bunting ...Oh no!)

So anyway, Bunting...Bunting is a brilliant way of signifying an occasion, for celebrating the seasons or for just cheering up a room! You can have all kinds of bunting, all different size, colours, textures...It is never ending! I have chosen medium weight cotton fabrics with a medium sized triangle and have deliberately chosen mine to contemplate and yet clash... (as you will see in the photos). You could use really clashing fabric prints for instance, dots, stripes, cheques, florals .....or colours for instance, Pink and Reds, Blues and Greens. You could break all the rules and have different size triangles or shapes, and if that isn't enough to think about try using paper....The possibilities are endless!

Fabric Bunting

What You Will Need:

Fabric

Bias Binding (Or ribbon)

Card / Paper Template

Pinking Shears

Pins
Sewing Machine Or Needle and thread

Instructions:

Cut out a triangle template on to card or paper or even better baking paper. I drew my own up and each triangle roughly measures 7.5" Width by 7.5" straight down the centre. But play around and decide on a size that suits you.

Pin template to fabric and cut round with pinking shears. (Pinking shears are a handy jaggady edge scissors that cut the fabric to prevent it from fraying) Ensure fabric is right side up if it has a print. I have used 10 triangles on a 3 mtr length or bias binding but do more or less according to the length you want your bunting.
I also only did one sided triangles as they are strung up on my wall and no one will see the other side but if are hanging the bunting outside from tree to tree for example, or in a window it might be pretty to see both sides so you will need to either use double sided fabric or double your amount, pair them up and stitch / whizz them together on your sewing machine.

Lay bias binding out and place triangle where you want them, I have measured the gap between my fabric triangles and have done 3" between each but you can do it however way you want it....! It's also important to remember to leave enough room at the ends so it can be tied or pinned to tree or wall for example...I have left 12" free. Then when you love your layout fold the bias binding over the top of the triangles so that the fabric is tucked in and pin along. Or you can do opposite and fold the fabric over the binding...This is more time consuming as you will have to keep measuring the length of fabric so it all hangs well but again it’s completely up to you.

Now finally stitch / sew along bias binding to secure triangle to binding! I used a small straight stitch but zigzag looks good. Either stitch along whole length or just on triangles. Remember to remove pins as you go and there you have it!

Now let the addiction begin...Not content with my gorgeous shabby chic red dotty bunting I now have walls and walls layered with all different types of bunting....There is so much fun to be had with this and it is so easy...I made mine in about 30 mins! The most time consuming bit was picking out the fabric...!! My second attempt I decided to do a bit of a lucky dip in my fabric drawer and picked out whatever my hand (not head) chose!

Hope you love it.

Love, Loie x x