Year Of Bunting Challenge 3: Knitted or Crocheted Bunting

April 18, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Year Of Bunting Challenge 3: Knitted or Crocheted Bunting

Welcome to the Year of Bunting Challenge 3!

Challenge 2 was to make some bunting embroidery and several people took part.

Hazel made a cross stitched book mark.

Julie made a needle case (she has a craft blog too which you can find here).

Christine made an embroidery hoop hanging with bunting and tassels.

Challenge 3

Challenge 3 is to make some knitted or crocheted bunting.

Since we’re already half way through April, this challenge will run until midnight BST on Sunday 12th May.

If you’d like to enter, all you have to do is knit or crochet some bunting, then either post it on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #yearofbunting, or post it on the Tea and a Sewing Machine Facebook page.

If you don’t do social media, you can email me a picture instead at teaandasewingmachine@gmail.com.

Tips and Ideas

If you’re stuck for ideas, here are some that might help.

You could use up odds and ends to make stripy bunting.

If there’s a stitch you particularly enjoy, you could make triangles featuring that stitch.

For crocheted bunting, you could make the flags either by crocheting rows, like knitting, or by crocheting in the round.

Crocheting in the round is a good way to make bunting if you want to start with a flower in the middle.

Another option is to make the flags, then add your design. You could embroider it or add knitted or crocheted details.

Some Tips

If you find that the edges of your knitted triangles are not as neat as you would like, try not knitting the first stitch of each row. Instead, slip the stitch onto the the needle, then knit the next one. If you are decreasing stitches, slip the first stitch onto the needle, then knit the 2nd and 3rd stitches together.

To crochet triangles in the round, start off with something that can be divided by 3.

Work out where the corners would need to be. Into those gaps, you’ll need to crocheted 2 groups of stitches. Into the other spaces, crochet one group.

For my crocheted bunting, I made a flower with 6 petals. Into the first space between the petals, I crocheted 1 group of trebles, then into the next space I crocheted 2 groups of trebles.

When that round was completed, I had 3 lots of 2 groups, and 3 lots of one. The groups of 2 made the points of the triangles.

So when I went round again, I crocheted 2 groups into the spaces at the points, and one group into each of the other spaces.

If you’d like some more inspiration, then please take a look at my bunting board on Pinterest.

I’m hoping you’ll join in!

Year of Bunting Challenges

April 11, 2019 · 1 Comment

Year of Bunting Challenges

So far we’ve had 2 Year of Bunting Challenges.

The first was to decorate some furniture with bunting, and the second was to make some embroidered bunting.

You can see what the winners made for the first challenge here. I haven’t written up the second one yet, but there was a lovely cross stitch design on a bookmark, an embroidered needle case and an embroidery hoop thing with tassels and bunting.

It’s lovely that people are joining in, but I know that having a timescale on something, although it is necessary for a challenge, isn’t always an aid to creativity! Some of us need plenty of thinking time as well as plenty of making time.

So here is a list of the rest of the Year of Bunting challenges. If you would like to download a PDF version, you can do so here.

There’ll be one a month until November. I haven’t decided whether to do one in December, but I might leave it as everybody’s so busy before Christmas. It will also give us a bit of extra time if we need it for any of the other challenges.

I’ll still introduce each challenge. They will start at the beginning of the month and run until the end of that month.

Having the list in advance means that you can decide which ones you’d like to do! If you want to start them early, that’s fine!

The winners will be notified by email and I’ll let everybody else know too. To make things a bit easier at my end of things, I’m going to assume that you’re happy for me to use your photograph and your first name if you win. If you don’t want me to do this, please let me know! You can email me at teaandasewingmachine@gmail.com.

I’m hoping lots of you will join in! If you have any questions, please ask me :).

Ideas For Bunting Embroidery

March 20, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Challenge 2 for 2019 The Year of Bunting is to sew some bunting embroidery. The post that explains the challenge is here.

If you or the people you live with don’t want bunting hanging up everywhere, or if you already have a lot hanging up, this is a nice, easy alternative.

It doesn’t take very long (once you’ve decided what to do of course!), and you can either make it part of a new project or add it to something you have already.

If you want to join in with the challenge but you don’t know where to start, here are some ideas for embroidery, some things you could embroider and some tips to make it all easier.

Ideas For Embroidery

It’s probably easiest to sew the outline of the bunting then embroider the flags as you like.

With this one I made patterns.

For this one I sewed sheep from French knots.

In this design, the flags are appliqued, then the flowers embroidered between the flags using woven wheels and lazy daisies.

Other things you could embroider onto the bunting flags include:
Trees
Hearts
Flowers
Letters
Or you could just pick your favourite embroidery stitches and use those to decorate the flags!

Ideas For Things to Embroider

The nice thing about this is that you don’t have to make anything new if you don’t want to. It’s easy enough to add some embroidery to something that you have already.

You could even buy plain white tea towels and embroider them yourself!

Here’s a list of things you might have already, or could buy ready made, that you could add embroidery to:
Towels
Face clothes
Tea towels
Jeans
Shirts
The hem of a dress
Canvas shoes
A canvas bag
A shower curtain
A babygro
Baby bibs
Hat, scarf and gloves
A baseball cap
Plain napkins
Pillowcases

If you wanted to make something for your bunting embroidery, here are some ideas:
A drawstring bag
A purse or pouch
A fabric basket
A peg bag
Some trousers or a skirt that you’ve made yourself
A needle case

Another option is to display your finished bunting embroidery in an embroidery hoop.

Tips For Making Things Easier

You might find it easier to draw your bunting on a piece of paper first, then transfer it to the fabric.

If drawing isn’t your thing, you could make one triangle as a template, then use that to draw the others.

Instead of embroidering onto the item, you could instead embroider a piece of ribbon or bias binding. You can get ribbon made of pretty much anything! You might choose to sew onto the silky stuff, but ribbon made from cotton or linen would work well.

Sewing the outline of the bunting with the sewing machine might be quicker. On the other hand, it’s easier to keep some hand sewing near you so you can work on it whenever you have a few minutes!

Year of Bunting Challenge 2

March 1, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Year of Bunting Challenge 2

Hurrah for the Year of Bunting!

It’s not really catching on, but it’s only March so I’m still hoping. In case you’ve missed it and you don’t have a clue what I’m on about, I announced at the beginning of the year that 2019 will be the Year of Bunting.

To make it fun, I’m setting challenges.

Challenge 1 was to make some bunting to decorate some furniture.

This is Hazel’s that she made to decorate her dresser. She found inspiration in the snowdrops in her garden.

Here is Christine’s bunting with her pretty crocheted flowers in between the flags.

They both won pincushion craft kits. Challenge 2 will have prizes too, so please have a go and enter!

I know that sometimes it’s offputting. You wonder what other people are doing, whether yours will be as good, whether there’s any point as hundreds of people will probably be entering and whether anybody will even notice yours.

I love seeing what you’ve made! This blog has some lovely loyal readers but it’s small and your contribution will be noticed :).

Challenge 2

So are you ready for the next challenge?

Challenge 2 is to sew some bunting embroidery.

I love this because it’s an easy way to sneak some in! Even if some soulless person in your house objects to you hanging up bunting everywhere, it’s much harder to object to a little bit embroidered on a tea towel and, let’s face it, there’s a good chance they won’t even notice!

This is some embroidered bunting I’m working on at the moment. I haven’t quite decided exactly what I’m going to do with it yet, but as I’ve managed to lose all my bank cards this week, I might be turning it into a new purse.

Exactly how you do your embroidered bunting is up to you. You can embroider by hand or use the sewing machine. It can be something functional, like a towel or a purse, or something purely decorative.

Here are some ideas of things you can embroider:

Tea towels
Dish cloths
Bathroom towels
Face cloths
A table cloth
Napkins
A top or a pair of trousers
Pillowcase or a duvet cover

There are some more ideas here on my bunting Pinterest board, and I have an embroidery board too.

The challenge will end at midnight GMT on Sunday 17th March 2019.

Please enter, it will be fun! And there will be prizes!

2019 The Year of Bunting: Why Bunting is Best

January 1, 2019 · 6 Comments

I’ve decided that 2019 will be the Year of Bunting.

This time last year I wrote a post about what I learnt in 2017. For various reasons I don’t want to write a similar post at the moment. I learnt plenty of things, but not all of them good or related to sewing and making stuff!

2018 was an odd year at Tea and a Sewing Machine HQ. Although nobody here died, got divorced or became seriously ill, I’m still quite glad to see the end of it and I’m looking forward to 2019.

In the words of my favourite folk singer, “Just take with you what makes your heart glad,” and bunting makes my heart glad.

Here are some reasons why bunting is best.

1. It’s impossible to look at a row of little flags fluttering cheerfully in the breeze and not feel at least a little bit happy.

Bunting has never solved anybody’s problems. But one thing I have learnt is that sometimes, simple things make you happy. If you’re not happy, then things that otherwise would make you happy at least make things less bad.

2. Bunting turns any occasion into a special day.

A bit of advice that comes up time and again is that we shouldn’t hang around waiting for a special occasion. If you have nice perfume or bath stuff, just use it. And any little thing can be turned into a reason for a celebration with bunting and cake!

3. Making basic bunting is very easy and quick.

Just cut some triangles from cotton or polycotton, then sew them to some bias binding. If you have more time, you can make 2 of each triangle and sew them together. For a special occasion (or just because you want to), you can add appliqued letters or shapes, embroidery, fabric flowers or whatever you like!

4. It’s a good way to use up fabric from other projects.

You can also use fat quarter packs you bought but couldn’t decide what to do with!

So as well as making something cheery that makes other people and yourself feel happy, it makes your fabric mountain a bit smaller.

5. You can go all out and hang yards and yards of it out in your garden, or you can make a bit and hang it up indoors.

Or if that’s still too much, you can just make a little bit of mini bunting and put it on a dresser, a bookcase or a fireplace.

6. Although usually made from triangles of cotton or polycotton, it can also be made from ribbon, felt, lace, doilies or paper.

The flags don’t have to be triangles either. They can be any shape you like!

how to make paper bunting tutorial easy instructions template bunting is best

7. It’s easy to add appliqued bunting to a cushion or a bag.

Just cut some triangles, sew them on, then sew ribbon or bias binding over the top of the triangles to join them together.

8. You can make bunting for any season.

Choose appropriate colours and add appliqued letters or shapes if you want to.

I made autumn bunting once with trees in autumn colours. I’ve also made some with a spring theme for the garden, and summer and Christmas bunting for the front of my house.

12 tips for making bunting 12 things to sew in the autumn bunting is best

So this year I’m going to be making lots of bunting themed things. Will you join me?

Year Of Bunting Challenge 3: Knitted or Crocheted Bunting