Make Your Own Mini Banners

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Tutorial for Mini Banners

Supplies Needed:

1/8 yard of 12 different fabrics
Iron on Interfacing (See Below) 1/4 yard
Sewing Machine
Paper
Posterboard
Scissors
3/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (5 yards)
Thread to Match Ribbon

Start with a 3" square of paper.  Fold it in half and draw a line from the top right hand corner to the bottom of the fold.

This will be your paper pattern that you are going to transfer to posterboard and cut out for your permanent pattern.



I like to use posterboard because it makes good straight lines when you trace your pattern onto your interfacing and doesn't wear out so fast. 



This is the Pellon interfacing I love to use.  I buy mine at JoAnn's Fabrics.

Take your posterboard triangle

 and trace it on the dull side of your interfacing.  This interfacing is a little hard to tell which side is which but if you do it in a sunny place, the shiny side is very obvious.

Cut out all of your triangles of interfacing.

Iron your interfacing onto the back side of each of your fabrics.

Note:  If you buy 12 different fabrics at 1/8 yard, you will have enough to make 12 banners.  You can get 12 triangles traced across the width of the interfacing. 

This makes a nice group project because you can share and all have one.  Another idea, have everyone bring a different seasonal fabric.  Then, you could all have several varieties.

 Carefully, cut your triangles out following the shape of the interfacing.

 You are going to lay out your fused pieces of fabric in a pleasing arrangement.  Don't put all of the dark together, all the white backgrounds together, etc.

When you have it arranged like you want, stack them in order and take to your sewing machine.

 We are going to leave about a 10-12" tail on the end and start sewing your pennants on to the grosgrain ribbon.  I really prefer the grosgrain ribbon because it has so much more body than the satin.

I use a small zig-zag to stitch the pennants onto the ribbon. I do the zig-zag stitch in the center of the ribbon.

Slowly add the pennants one after the other.  They just touch one another at the tips. 

Take your finished banner and trim the two ends so that they are the same length.  Press the ribbon where you have zig-zagged until smooth.

TA DAH!!

YOU ARE DONE!!

 

 Now you can make one for every season.  The Valentine, Easter and St. Patricks Day are the hardest to find.  But, you're in luck because they are all out right now.  The Patriotic, Fall and Christmas all come out early enought that you will have time to get your fabric and make them in plenty of time.

Hope you enjoy this.

Let me know if you make one.  This is my first real tutorial, so let me know if I should have done something more or less.

Enjoy!

Till next time, Judy