Mini Message Bunting + Eraser Tutorial.

So, today we are going to start the 3 day sew/craft along for the Mini Message Bunting Gift Set as promised. 

If any of you were a little confused when my post about this gift set initially went up yesterday, saying that the series would start "Monday", I apologize ... this is gonna sound crazy, but until around 4pm in the afternoon yesterday, I thought it was Sunday.  Yep, all day long I thought it was Sunday.  When I found out it was Monday, it was really strange, because I felt like I lost a day of my life ... but a lot of things started to make sense ... like how the UPS guy brought my textbook order earlier in the day (to which I thought, "Oh ... they must be busy to deliver on Sundays!" .. d'oh!!!).   Guess it was one of those blonde moment type of things ..... or ... err ... ummm .... blonde days? 

Anyhow, I am not going to go on and on about this bunting gift set like I did yesterday, but I will just mention once again, that the intent of this bunting is twofold -- a cute decorative bunting accomplished by cute fabric on one side, as well as a functional place to write messages on the other side thanks to the chalk cloth. 

If you do not have chalk cloth, then whatever ... just make it all out of the fabric of your choice!

Let's Get Started!

x-x-x Mini Message Bunting Tutorial x-x-x

Supplies

2/3 yard chalk cloth

15-26 quilting weight cotton charm squares (5" x 5" squares)

A piece of chalk to prime the chalk cloth

3 yards premade 1/2" double fold bias tape

Plastic template, permanent marker, ruler (to make template - you can also sustitute a paper and pencil, but this will make fussy cutting more difficult)

Water soluble marker (or similar)

Basic Sewing Supplies: pins or clips, sewing machine, thread, 80/10 universal needle (this is only a suggestion based on what I used, your machine may be different), scissors.

Pattern Notes:

* The edges on this project are left raw, because fraying is minimal on fabrics that are cut off grain.  If you cut one of the long sides of the flag on grain, you can treat with fray check if you are worried about excessive fraying.  Chalk cloth does not fray.

* Fabric for this project does not need to be prewashed. 

* Approximate metric seam allowance equivalents: 1/8" = 3mm, 1/4" = 6mm, 3/8" = 9mm, 1/2" = 12mm. 

* 1"= 2.54 cm. 

Directions:

Step One :: Make the Pattern Piece.

While it may seem like a hassle to make your own pattern piece, the benefit to making your own pattern piece using plastic template is that you can see the fabric beneath it.  This will allow you to fussy cut the fabric, and get just the right piece of the fabric you want on your flags.

A.    Take your piece of plastic template and draw a horizontal line that measures   3" across using your ruler and permanent marker. (photo 1)

B.    Find the center of the line you just drew, and make a vertical line that measures 3" right down the center.  (photo 2)

C.   Draw 2 diagonal lines from the top line to the center line as shown below (photo 3).  Cut your triangle out (photo 4). You now have a pattern piece to draw your flags with.

Step Two :: Make Your Flags.  

A. First, before you begin it is a good idea to prime your chalk cloth.  You could skip this step, and just include instructions for the recipient to do so, but I like to do this first, so that the bunting is ready to use right away.  All you need to do, is take your piece of chalk... lay it on its' side, and rub it over your chalk cloth horizontally, then vertically, then diagonally. Then just wipe off the chalk with a dry cloth.  Done.  Now the chalk cloth is primed and ready to be written on.

B.  Cut up your chalk cloth into 26 square-ish shapes.  I made mine around the same size as the charm squares, but this was just because I have a 5" wide ruler, and that was easiest.  As long as your squares are just a little bit bigger than the templates created in Step One, you will be fine.

C.    Take your pattern piece, and place it on top of your fabric RS up (so you can see the fabric beneath) where you want it.  Trace the triangle using your water soluble marker.

You can get 2 flags out of one charm square …

But if you fussy cut, you may only be able to get one, depending on where the image is on the fabric ….

D.    Cut out all of your triangles along your traced lines. You should now have 26 little triangles.

E.   Place a triangle on top of a piece of chalk cloth, WST, and sew them together along the 2 long sides using between a 1/8 - 1/4"  seam (whichever you are more comfortable with).  Pivot at the bottom, and be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end.  Repeat for all 26 squares.

F.   Trim the chalk cloth on all of the triangles.

Step Three :: Make the Bunting.

A.    Get out your bias tape, and open it up.  See how one side is slightly wider than the other?  Place this side on the bottom.

B. Leaving a few inches at the end for hanging,  place a triangle inside of the binding so that the unsewn edge will be encased.  Fold the binding back down over the triangle, and pin or clip  in place.  Continue for the remaining 25 triangles, placing them right next to eachother.  I like to place the triangles so that the chalk cloth triangles will all face one side, and the fabric triangles will all face the other side, but feel free to mix and match.

C.    Fold up each short end of the binding 1/2", and press inward so that there will not be any raw edges on the ends.

D.   Stitch around the 3 open sides of the binding using a  1/8” seam.  You will sew through all 3 layers.

E.   The Bunting is done – save all of you scraps for the next 4 projects.

x-x-x Mini Message Eraser Tutorial x-x-x 

Supplies:

Scraps of fabric from the bunting tutorial above

2 Scraps of batting or felt that are at least 4" x 5.5"

1 Scrap of fleece (or similar) that is at least 4" x 5.5"

Optional: pinking shears

Basic Sewing Supplies

Directions: 

1.    Sew scraps together until you have a square-ish, or rectangle-ish shape that is larger than 3.5" x 5".  I found three rectangular pieces, and sewed them together, but you can sew your fabrics together any way you like until you get the right size.

2.    Trim your patchwork piece down to 3.5" x 5".

3.    Lay your scrap of fleece on a flat surface, followed by the 2 pieces of batting or felt, with the piece of patchwork on top. The patchwork piece should be RS facing up.  Sew through all 4 layers 1/4 - 3/8" in from the edge of the patchwork.

4.    Trim all of the fabric layers.  For this step I like to use pinking shears to prevent fraying, and for a decorative look.  If you do not have pinking shears, you can simply leave the edges straight, zigzag stitch them, or treat with fray check. 

5. Erase messages on your sweet bunting!

And that is it for today, be sure to check back tomorrow when I show you how to make some darling fabric covered pushpins to hang your bunting up with.  The bunting is fairly light weight, and as long as you do not mind some tiny holes in your wall, I found that 6 pushpins is more than adequate to hold the bunting up with.  On Thursday I will show you how to make the cute card, and gift tag that you see in the photo below.

Enjoy!!

Hugs, Sara :)

P.S. As always, I would love to see what you come up with! Post a pic in the split stitch flickr pool, and your project could be featured here on the blog too!

P.P.S.  Please remember that free tutorials are for personal use only, which means that you are welcome to stitch them up for yourself, as gifts, or for charity.  If you wish to sell mini message buntings online or in person, please contact me to purchase a PDF version of this tutorial with permission to sell an unlimited number of handmade buntings for only $5.  I can be reached at: thesplitstitch (at) live (dot) com.  Thanks for your understanding!