just call me martha

{martha stewart ;)}

so i have these scraps. and although they look darling all rolled up and displayed in a little basket, it just doesn't feel like the best use for them. plus, i can't justify buying more material until my current stash dwindles. i can hear ryan already.

what about this stuff?

he won't understand. boys never do.

so... i've been on etsy. a lot. every time i nurse. and while i'm browsing the fabric section i always stumble across items made out of fabric. and the fabric banners grab my attention. always. so naturally i googled how exactly to make these little gems. it's not hard. and since i'm using my scraps... it's free.

ingredients:

scrap material or a small amount purchased

{tip of the day ~ my mom ONLY uses quality fabric shop material... no JoAnn's, no walmart. because fabric shop material is a better quality. i'm pretty sure you can use any quality for this project... since it won't be washed. but all quilts and washables should be made with finer fabrics. so they hold up} 

fabric scissors
cardboard or thick paper... or the top of a department store box
pencil
sewing machine
thread

make templates. use cardboard, thick paper, or a box top. cut out desired shapes. i.e. three types of triangles. two types of circles. and a four petal flower. 

fold fabric in half {that way it will yield two identical pieces}. use a pencil to trace the shapes onto fabric.

cut them out with fabric scissors. make as many or as few pieces you want. 

 organized them into piles.

lay each shape wrong side together. use a 1/4 seam allowance. 

sew. i used the chain sewing method. i did not use binding or ribbon. although you can. i wanted mine extremely flexible. and thread allows for that look. and it's so easy. 

sew them altogether grabbing random colors and random shapes. do not cut the thread. 

wha la! super felxible. super colorful. super easy!

what i learned ~ if you make your circles big, sew them towards the top, not down the middle like i did. otherwise the circle or four petal flower will droop. like the picture above. 

i fixed this problem half way through. as seen above.

now our house looks like the circus is in town.

future plans ~ i want to make many, many more fabric banners. especially a fourth of july 'americana' version. we will be beach camping that week and i want it draped all over our camp site. hmmm... i wonder what ocean air does to fabric?