for the homestead :: easiest bunting

despite the wet and cold weather outside and despite my ever increasing pregnancy discomfort, today is a great day. i am snuggled up next to my baby girl who is quietly munching away on animal crackers, waiting for her waffles to be done, while i write away. the light in our house is very dark and misleading - i feel as though i woke up in the wee-est hours of the morning and have gained precious winter hours.

and i get to admire this in all of the changing shades of day:

i did some thing very unlike me this week - i began and finished a project that involved no sewing whatsoever. it started like this: i wanted a quick and gratifying project to work on before heading to my bed. the catch with my new sewing space is that it sits awfully close to frankie's little room. if she's not asleep she can spy me through the crack where the curtain doesn't quite cover the glass-paned door. this leaves me with an hour or so of time for doing nothing (or chores, if i'm feeling super motivated) as i wait for baby girl to grow quiet and for the night to get darker. and since i am typically not a night owl, the motivation to do any sewing before heading to my cozy bed with a good book is sometimes lacking.

and so i schemed up some no-sew, super easy bunting for our little homestead. 

the process goes something like this:

step 1:

cut your flags.

you can choose to make rectangles, triangles, any shape really

as long as the fabric has been folded and pressed.

by folding all of your fabric you ensure that your bunting is completely reversible.

helpful hint: when i unfold my triangle flags, they are a perfect diamond.

step 2:

cut your fabric adhesive.

i like to use double stick fusible web, 

which is easy to find at most fabric stores. i found mine at joann fabrics.

you only need to cut your adhesive as big as the final flag size will be. 

there is no need to fold or double it.

helpful hint: for a flag that (folded) measures 2" x 5",

i will cut a single piece of adhesive that measures the same.

step 3:

with your iron on the steam setting,

set your bunting string (i like to use plain ol' twine) in the fold of your flag.

place fusible adhesive on one side of flag and fold the other side 

over your string, matching up all of your edges. 

your string should be nestled into the fold of your flag.

press and fuse and...

step 4:

you have your first flag on your bunting!

i like to make a little notch in the bottom of my rectangular shapes

once they have been fused to create more of a flag shape.

spacing and color variation are all up to you,

as well as bunting length and flag style.

this particular banner will hang above our new baby's nook: a corner of our bedroom that i will slowly be filling with his moses basket, beautiful art, tiny diapers and flannel plants, and of course, strings and strings of this bunting! i have quite a few projects on my list for this little space and for the rest of our new home in maine that we are slowly settling in to - projects that i am hoping to be able to share with you weekly here. 

and now i will settle back into our rainy day - a few dishes in the sink that need cleaning, some laundry to be done, but mostly lots of lego-building and snuggling under handmade quilts for me and mine today.