Advent Bunting Tutorial

Aaah! I know what you're saying! "Is that really a Christmassy thing already?" Well, yes, it is!

Today I'm guest blogger over at Simply Solids.

The lovely Justine wanted me to use some Christmas fabrics, and I thought: "What needs to be made well in advance for Christmas?" Well, an advent calendar of course.....you need that right from the start of December, and that's only about 9 weeks away!

This is bunting that has pockets in it so you can add little treats, one for each day.

The pockets are fastened with a ribbon loop and little button, so there'll be no peeking before the day.

You can choose to make just one length, or split it in two as I have done. It makes it a lot easier to hang on a chimney breast, door or a child's wall.

To make the bunting you will need:

7 fat quarters of Christmas fabric

Bias binding tape

Narrow ribbon for the button loops

25 small buttons

A small piece of solid white for the numbers

Bondaweb or other fusible to secure the numbers in place.

The full instructions along with templates for the pennants and numbers and plenty of stage by stage photos can be downloaded here

Happy Sewing

Sewing bunting is the best sewing I know. I love it!!
All that colour, those nice easy straight seams, the joining it together into long strips, and the knowing its for a happy occasion. Bunting is always for happy times, and this is for my son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law's wedding in just a few week's time. Eek! did I say a few weeks time! There is so much sewing needs doing!
So I've been cutting...

and sewing.....

and sewing some more....

Saffie kept a very close eye on the proceedings....

The stack got higher...........

I added some solids........

Then played around with the placement........

Then joined them into lengths using rolls of ready made bias binding.

And finally took them outside to have a little peek at what they're going to look like hanging in all their colourful beauty!

A total of 6 lengths, 15 pennants in each. Such a happy sewing day!

My Life in Lists

Life is fun filled and action packed at the moment and I have a lot of very enjoyable projects that I'm mid-way through, or committed to in the near future. Trying to prioritise which to do when could be quite a headache, but I want to enjoy all these projects so I resort to writing myself lists.

I have lists for the garden jobs, lists for the household chores and a lovely long list for the crafting projects.

Love them or hate them, lists certainly do keep you focussed and I love being able to cross off an item or two at the end of the day (or week!)

I'm quilting a king size quilt for a friend at the moment. It's a lot of work. To make sure I don't fall out of love with this I need to quilt it in small doses, so it stays on the list, and I just do a little a day.

I've also been working on a new knitting pattern, but just for the time being I need to put this on the back burner whilst I get more pressing things done. It stays on the list though, so it doesn't get forgotten. It's a good thing to do when I sit down in the evening.

The charity sewing isn't needed until October, so nothing to show yet, but it's on the list so that I start to plan in my head what I'm going to make.

The most urgent projects on the list are the ones for my son and his fiancee's wedding, which is in August. Aah! just a matter of weeks away!

I have hessian table runners with lace trim to make. No pictures to share yet, I'm afraid.

I also have six lengths of wedding bunting to make.

Laura has chosen the fabrics from my copious stash - well, why go shopping when your soon-to-be mother-in-law has a whole room full of fabric!

I've got as far as cutting out the pennants and ordering the bias tape. I've had to buy it  by the roll!!

She's chosen some gorgeous prints and this is going to be the most fun project ever.

I also have to help her make a dress for her honeymoon (Oops! forgot to put that on the list!)

It's going to be very pretty and it will suit her so well, but this is not, in my opinion, a beginner pattern as it says on the front. We've had to do quite a lot of alteration and I've ended up completely re-drafting the armhole.

Just in case you couldn't guess, my favourite project on the list is the bunting!