Soooo .... BUNTING! From Start to Finish x

Bunting - as we call it in the UK and Australia!

I decided, one day, ages ago ... that i was going to try and make some bunting. I was never even a 'fan' of bunting (then!) but some local customers had asked me if i made it so i thought i would try it...


I decided on the size and shape of each flag by sketching it on paper first. Then i made one or two 'flags' or 'pennants' and they seemed to look okay. At the time, i was buying Bias Bind (for the coloured top strip) and it was 5 meters long. I decided i could cut that in half and fit 12 flags on each 2.5mtr length... ( I now buy it in 50metre rolls! )...
I made a few lines of Bunting in some 'party themes' - jungles, robots, pirates ... and then i had an order for some saying "Baby Girl" and "Baby Boy" so i decided i could offer names on bunting for children ...
It all just went from there and nothing has changed much since. Not the design, not the size (although i do now offer mini-bunting)...
I don't even design the look of the bunting first! I just wait and see what comes from a sewing session - Bunting really encapsulates and suits my craft style:
1. no pattern
2. no plan
3. small sections at a time
4. bright and impulsive

I usually make LOADS of flags and then decide which ones go together the best and somehow ...they work! Choosing gorgeous fabric is always a good start and i try to pick ones i love and really good quality cotton weave.
P.S This really is the ONLY time i get the iron out in my house!...
I love the way they all turn out so differently and that i rarely repeat a pattern. It keeps me on my creative toes and stops me getting bored. I collect fabric COMPULSIVELY now and make bunting all week, every week. I love to see it brighten up the homes and gardens of people i know... or to think of it in customers homes whom i have never met...

I have 'my' bunting hanging in:
School halls >>> Wedding receptions >>> Children's Bedrooms >>> Shop windows >>> Cafe windows >>> Tea Room walls >>> Craft Stalls >>> Garden Parties >>>Birthdays >>> Theme nights >>> Some Narrow Boats >>> Domestic Kitchens >>> Art Studios >>> EVEN as far flung as a remote island in FIJI! where my sister celebrated her 30th birthday and, when she moved on, she left it for a family and their children who love it...
Some days i hate making more of the stuff ... but most days it is one of the nicest creative jobs i do. They are bright, happy, cheerful, colourful, fun, kitsch, totally un-necessary ... everything my CRAFT style is about! ...
Why not make some of your own? And if you can't sew - use paper? LISTEN, my 4 yr old made paper bunting for her dolls house - there really is nothing to it!
Have fun - get creative x x x

BUNTING - as we call it in the UK and Australia x