Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Bunting to mark year One

20130905-P1300251.jpg We all remember the stash splurge before I became poor. The post will tell you what the fabrics were. Those fabrics have remained pristine in their bundle ever since. My love for them is so great that I just couldn't use them. I find it very hard to use fabric for anything other than quilting if I am honest, but Penelope is finally one which is such a tremendous marker that I thought it was time to make some bunting. I've made bunting before but the one thing I always regret about it is that it was never two sided.

20130901-P1300215.jpg I decided it was time to make some long lasting bunting that we could hoik out every year. Finally I have made two sided bunting. How neat and tidy. It definitely took longer but it feels more professional.

20130902-P1300217.jpg So I created a card template based on measurements which would allow me to get 5 triangles out of the width of my half yard of fabric. Everything turned out to be in quantities of 6. 12 fabrics. 6" wide triangles (unfinished), 60" of bias binding. One triangle every 6". It was a bit short, but it felt like such a lot of triangles, I just couldn't cope with any more. In order to circumvent all the problems associated with sewing fabric cut at a degree (it stretches and moves a bit), I created long strips and marked trianges in pencil then just sewed 1/4" on either side, then cut down the pencil lines. It's quick work. I have saved all the offcuts for some nice applique work I plan to do, so nothing will be wasted.

20130905-P1300253.jpg The points aren't perfect. I trimmed the points before turning, then pushed them through with a crochet hook, but they look okay at a distance.

20130902-P1300221.jpg Is that close enough? I'd be interested to know if they can be more perfect than that.

20130905-P1300264.jpg In the end I am really pleased. Every year I will get to gaze on these nice fabrics. I just love spots and I think pinks and oranges go really really with the blue and green bias. I agonised for ages. Should it be tasteful neutral greys with splashes of fluro pink and blue or should it be rainbow plains or purples and oranges. In the end I decided it had to come from the stash and it might as well be my beloved spots.