A Banner Tutorial

Christmas gift idea number two

If you have seen all the banners around lately, then you know that not only are they very much where it's at, they are for every occasion. I love them, and after making one for Haven's 8th birthday back in 2007, I have been loving them!

How about a banner for that special someone with their very own name, or an encouraging word, like: SPECIAL, or CREATE, or GROW....etc... You can make birthday banners, business banners, or simple welcome banners. They can come in all sizes and shapes, fonts, papers, or cloth....you name it, it can pretty much be a banner.

Here is my latest Christmas banner, JOYEUX NOEL, or french for Merry Christmas. I used to think NOEL meant NO ROOM, you know, like what the Inn keeper said to Joseph when he was looking for a space for his very with child, betrothed, Mary, to rest after their arduous journey on Donkey back, to Bethlehem. I don't know where I got that, Now I imagine singing....No roo oom, no o room, no o room, no room....born is the ki ing of Is is Ry al. Whatever. Any way I was recently set straight, and to commemorate my new favorite french saying ....I made, what else, ....but a banner.

There is like a gazillion trillion ways to make a banner, but I will attempt to explain how I did this one. Make it as easy as possible, don't stress, it's only an heirloom that will be passed down for generations to come, with your name attached, but, no worries. Let's begin, shall we?

First, decide on colors, and shapes. I just gathered red and green fabrics from my stash, and some large chip board scrap book letters. I painted the letters all white (they were bright pink!). I cut 10 circles out of the fabric, about 7 inches across, and ten more out of white for the back, and ten more out of quilt batting. I only had the fluffy stuff on hand, in hind sight I think the thin kind would have worked better.

I sewed the pieces together, with prints on top, white on bottom, and batting sandwiched in between. I stitched it like a pie for stability, but you could do it any way you would like. Then I cut around the outside with pinking shears to give it a cute edge. If it ravels a bit, that will just make it more handmade and cozy.

Then I measured a strip of checkered bias tape to the length I wanted, and spaced the circles on it, remembering the letters that I was placing, and where the space between the words would go. I allowed the circles to overlap a bit. Then I pinned each circle to the bias tape, and sewed in place.


When each of the circles was secured to the bias tape,(you could use ribbon by the way), I glued down the letters. Then I embellished each letter with a bit of Christmas cheer.

After letting the glue dry, I hung on the mantle. Banners are fun, and personal, and really easy to make! I hope you will try it!

Here's the one I made for Thanksgiving. It was super simple, just glittered letters I backed with fall paper, and then strung on a orange ribbon. The craft stores are full of pretty letters made just for projects like this!