For the past few weeks I have been responsible for
organising a bingo and raffle night at the College of Law in Manchester which
is where I spend my days, training to be a solicitor.
I wanted to decorate the room we were using for the event and I thought
that bunting would do the trick. I used 3
different fabrics that I already had and I bought a ½ metre of 4 other
patterned fabrics which set me back £9.
Not a bad start on the money side of things.
I calculated that double sided triangles using the template I made and the amount of fabric I had would make 12 metres of bunting. I decided to make a 5 metre length and a 7 metre
length using complementary colours. I
bought a 25 metre reel of white bias binding and got to work!
I made the bunting using the method below and I would estimate
that it took 2 full days to complete.
This is quite a lengthy process but if you enjoy sewing and making
things then time doesn’t seem to matter.
So for anyone keen to try something new, why not make your
own bunting for the Queen’s Jubilee or for a family birthday? It’s a great way to use up old fabric and experiment with themed colour choices. Best of all, it's easy to do and perfect for beginners to machine sewing.
Equipment:
·
Selection of fabrics;
·
Triangle template;
·
Tailors chalk;
·
Pinking shears;
·
Sewing machine and thread; and
·
Bias binding in colour and width of your choice
(length depends on how much bunting you want to make).
Method:
Step 1: Make a
template. I used Microsoft word and
inserted a triangle from their range of shapes into a document. The triangle I used measured 20cm wide x 25cm
height. I then printed it and cut it out for use as a
template. If you want a slightly
stronger template then simply stick the paper template to thick card and cut
out the shape from the card.
Step 2: Place your template
in the left hand corner of your fabric. Using
tailors chalk draw around the template.
Then flip the template over and position it so that the tip of the template
is in line with the base of the first triangle drawn.
Step 3: From ½ metre
of fabric I could draw out 18 triangles in 2 rows of 9. Once you have drawn all of your triangles cut
them out using pinking shears (to prevent fraying).
Step 4: Pin 2
triangles together, right sides facing in, and position the material under the
foot of the sewing machine with the needle on the right of the base with the
tip of the triangle pointing in your direction.
Sew with straight stitch using the foot of the machine as your seam allowance
guide. When you reach the tip of the
triangle, with the needle in the fabric, lift the foot and rotate the triangle
180 degrees anti-clockwise. Now sew down
the other side of the triangle. Repeat for all of your triangles.
Step 5: To turn the
triangles the right way out first snip the tip of the triangle off being sure
to cut as close to the stitching as possible without actually cutting the
stitches. Then trim the seam allowance
down on both edges near the tip to reduce the bulk of fabric.
Step 6: Keep your finger
positioned on the blunt tip and use you other hand to turn the triangle inside
out. To make the point more defined roll
the tip of the triangle in your hands and wiggle the 2 layers of fabric to try
and ease it out. This will work but may
take some time. Do this for all triangles.
Step 7: Press all triangles
and trim off any seam which is on show at the base of the triangle as a result
of turning inside out.
Step 8: Take your
bias binding, measure 30cm in and make a mark at this point. Fold the bias binding in half horizontally,
pinning where necessary but only up to the 30cm mark. Now sew the bias binding in half horizontally
using a straight stitch, from the beginning of the bias binding up to the mark. When you reach the mark, stop sewing.
Step 9: Place a
triangle in between the folded layers of bias binding at the mark and pin in
place. Now continue to sew until approx
5cm from the end of the base of the triangle.
Repeat this step until you have sewn all triangles into place.
Step 10: Continue to
sew bias binding in half for a further 30cm (to match the beginning of your
bunting). The ends of the bunting are to
help you pin the bunting up. You could
leave them as they are or sew the end back on itself with a few tacking
stitches to create a loop.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
