No-sew pennant banner
Back when my friend was pregnant, she’d mentioned wanting a burlap pennant banner to hang over the baby’s crib (which you might remember from this sweet little makeover).
I insisted I’d made one, but then I found myself procrastinating the project. Burlap is a pain to work with because it frays so easily, and I was dreading cutting out the little triangles and sewing them together. Then, after all that, I’d have to cut out the letters of his name — Colton — and applique around each one, all while praying the burlap held up. Ugh.
When little Colton was not quite two weeks old, I was browsing the craft aisles of my favourite fabric store and discovered a wooden pennant banner kit.* I’d never seen one before. For 7.99 I would get seven wooden triangles, precut with holes, and the twine to string them together. Sold!
Before I left the store, I grabbed a sheet of dark brown felt* and 1.5m of burlap trim.* (I had no idea it was sold in narrow strips, but it was exactly what I needed to fit the pennants.)
Back at home, I printed out Colton’s name — split into two sections to fit it all on one piece of printer paper — using a free font called “Typo Hoop” (DaFont.com). I’d wanted something that would be easy to cut out, and solid enough to be legible from across the room when it was hanging above his crib.
I cut out the paper letters, and then switched over to my fabric scissors to cut them out of the felt. I didn’t bother to trace, since it might have marked up the felt. I just held the paper letters over the felt with one hand while snipping with the other. C-O-L-T-O-N was cut out in no time.
I plugged in my hot glue gun and spread out the length of burlap, cutting it into six rectangles — each slightly larger than the wooden pennants. Then I just squiggled glue over one side of a wooden pennant and pressed it against the burlap with my palm.
Once the glue had cooled, I trimmed around each pennant. It didn’t matter that the edges were already fraying a little, because the glue was going to make sure the burlap didn’t totally disintegrate.
The wood backing gives each pennant a nice heft, unlike a pennant banner made from only fabric, so there won’t be any flapping around if the nursery window is left open. (Years ago, I sewed a fabric birthday banner that we still use for every family birthday. I love it, but it drives me crazy that the pennants get wrinkled.)
I hot-glued each letter onto a pennant, which was a million times faster than having to applique around each one with my sewing machine. Then I strung the pennants onto the piece of twine included in the kit, using a dab of hot glue behind each hole to make sure they didn’t slide around.
I’ll be hanging up this banner next week when I go to my friend’s place for more baby snuggles, and I know it’s going to look great over his crib.
This project was so fast that now I want to get more of these wooden kits to make more pennant banners! Ooh, one for every holiday! I’ve missed you, my dear glue gun.
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Heather's Handmade Life 