It’s started showing up in shop windows, at weddings, diner parties, and baby showers. It’s festive, fun, great for the Fourth of July, your tiny apartment, your next dinner party, or even a cookout. I’m sure you’ve seen it too –those strings of brightly colored flags? (Though like me, you may not have known that it’s called bunting).
Bunting is great because of its colors and patterns. It’s also a great project to make out of the button-down shirts you’ll find at Goodwill. (You can now even match your clothing to your decorations, woo.)
What you’ll need:
- a button down that fits you or a friend.
- 2 or 3 other patterned, woven fabrics (from shirts, sheets, pants, dresses, or other Goodwill linens). I like to make them out of the same fabric type (all cotton for example.)
1. Cut out triangles of equal size from fabric that looks good with your button down (while you’re at Goodwill, hold your shirt up to others to find another pattern that will go well).
- Be neat, because you will use these triangles to make your bunting. Use these cutouts as a pattern for your other fabric, and cut out as many triangles as you want for your strand(s) of bunting.
- If in a hurry, overlap the wide end of the triangle with the cord and run a zigzag stich over the triangle to attach it to the cord.
- If you have a little more time, turn the wide edge under, over the cord to make a neater edge. Note that the triangle edges will fray because they haven’t been hemmed. If this bothers you, you can sew two triangles together and flip them inside out, or use fabric that won’t fray (like felt or leather).
You’re finished. Now just find a good place to hang them up (call your tall friends).