DIY Bunting - an Easy, No-Sew Tutorial
/How to Create Your Own Bunting
As you may have learned from my previous post, I’m terrible about decorating for the seasons and holidays.
Don’t get me wrong, I obviously LOVE home design, but when it comes to seasonal decor, with the exception of Christmas, it’s always felt a little pointless to me. I mean, who am I decorating for anyway?
Well, let me tell you… now that my older daughter is almost 5, I need to get my ish together because there’s no way she’s letting me get away without any fall decor up in here! She is so excited about the changing seasons - and rightfully so! I couldn’t say no to her incessant pleas for decorations (kids, amirite?), so we’ve been spending a lot of time lately finding ways to create some festive decorations together.
One of those decorations is the topic for today’s post: how to make an easy, no-sew bunting. You may have even noticed it hanging out in my last post because I used it as part of my Halloween decor! And because it’s now deep into fall and I used fall colors in my bunting, I’m tagging this as a fall post. BOOM.
But really, this tutorial can be adapted to work for whatever holiday or situation suits your needs.
Before I get this party started, I have to admit that I have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be. Well, either I’m getting lazy or I’m turning over a new leaf (get it!?) because this project is fast, easy, and cheap! And lucky for you, it’s unlikely that you too have a ridiculously long mantel, so your bunting will likely be even faster, easier, and cheaper!
Here’s how to do it:
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Materials
- Cardstock, matboard, cardboard, or another stiff, easy to cut material
- Ruler or Tape measure
- Pen
- Scissors
- Fabric (in various colors/patterns - I just used leftovers of festive colored fabric I had stashed away)
- Twine or another type of thick string
- Hot glue gun
Create a template
Using your cardstock/matboard/cardboard, measure 6 inches horizontally and make a line from point A to point B. Then, find the middle of that line and measure down 6.5 inches (point C). Draw a line from point A to point C. Draw another line from point B to point C. Congratulations, you just drew a triangle!
From the middle of the top line of your triangle, measure up half an inch. Draw a line 2.5 inches to the left and the right from your point (your line will be 5 inches long total).
Then connect the ends of that line to points A and points B. This step creates the flap that you’ll fold over the string when you assemble the bunting… It’ll make more sense below.
Cut out your template.
Roughly measure your mantel (or wherever you plan on hanging your bunting)
This isn’t an exact science by any means. To measure my mantel, I just took my string and draped it where I planned on hanging my bunting. Then I made sure to add a little extra string that I would use on either end to hang the bunting before I cut it.
Keep in mind that your bunting will sag a little, so don’t actually measure your mantel and cut your string to match that measurement. It’ll be too short, you’ll regret it, and you’ll end up questioning your whole existence. Totally not worth it.
Determine how many flags you need to cut
Again, not an exact science. Actually measure your string this time, not including any excess you left on the ends for hanging. Divide that by 6 and that’s about how many flags you need.
Decide on a pattern & cut your fabric
You may want to have an idea of how your finished product will look so you know how many of each flag to cut. Or, you can be like me and just start cutting out flags, see what you end up with, and THEN figure out your design.
Either way, once you’re ready to start making your flags, using your template, simply trace the flag on the backside of the fabric with a pen and cut it out. PLEASE don’t use a Sharpie for this step - it’ll bleed through. Then repeat over and over again until all your flags are cut.
While making my bunting, my daughter had a good time just cutting scraps of fabric to shreds while I did all the hard work.
Iron the flags
You’ll want to iron the flags here for two reasons: 1: You want them to hang flat and 2: You need to iron down the flap at the top that will fold over and be secured to the string.
Assemble your bunting
Once all your flags are cut and ironed, you’re ready to assemble your bunting!
For this step, I laid out all my flags facedown, put the string under the flaps, and worked my way around one by one, putting a small line of glue on the underside of the flap as close to the crease as I could. Then I moved on to the next flag and the next and the next until I was done.
Then all that’s left is to hang your up your bunting to add a little festive fall flair!
