How to Make Patriotic Bunting the Easy Way-for Memorial Day & 4th of July

by creativeiscool

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Intro: How to Make Patriotic Bunting the Easy Way-for Memorial Day & 4th of July

I am making more of these easy buntings for the upcoming red-white-and-blue holidays here in the US.

STEP 1: Materials

2 Yards Navy Broadcloth (often found in the quilting section)

2 Yards White Broadcloth

4 Yards Red Broadcloth

Grommets, setting tools (optional)

I got all the fabric on sale for about $2/yard, so this project cost me under $18. I chose 42” broadcloth because it is lightweight and cheap. These supplies will make 3 54” buntings. Basically, you make a rectangle, accordion-fold it, secure the center, then sew the ends together down the center. I added grommets at the corners, but you can attach string for hanging instead. The grommet kit was an additional $4 at Joanns and included the anvil and setter tools – all you need is a hammer to set them.

STEP 2: Wash and Dry the Fabric

Wash and dry the fabric to preshrink it. This is important because each fabric shrinks differently. Prewashing also helps prevent color-running.

STEP 3: Cut the Fabric:

The dimensions are approximate, depending on shrinkage, so I am giving you my measurements after prewashing and shrinking the 42”-wide fabric. Each piece of fabric was cut into equally-sized strips the length of the 2 yards of fabric. I ironed and folded the fabric and used a Fiskars rotary cutter and cutting mat. White: Cut 6 equally-wide strips about 7 ¼” X 55”Red: Cut 12 equally-wide strips about 7 ¼” X 55”Blue: Cut 3 equally-wide strips about 14” X 55”

STEP 4: Sew

Sew the strips together to make a striped rectangle with the center stripe the color you want in the center-top of the bunting. In this example, I wanted blue at the center-top, surrounded by red and white stripes. Trim it so it is square and finish the edges. I used my Juki serger to make quick work of the edging.

STEP 5: Accordion Fold

Perpendicular to the stripes, accordion-fold in 2½” intervals and pin into place.

STEP 6:

Sew across the center using a heavy-duty needle.

STEP 7: Sew Center Seam

Fan out the ends, pin and sew the center seam.

STEP 8: Set Grommets

Set grommets in the corners (optional).

3 Comments

Renita1 9 months ago

What size did this make? I am wanting to only do a three stripe
My windows are 50 inches across
How much fabric would I need?
Thank you

BeachsideHank 7 years ago

Very thoughtful project, thanks for thinking about it. As new generations come along, the original meaning of some of the holidays tend to become obscure if not explained, here are two that are specific for the American veteran:

Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day; Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans.