A while ago I shared how much fun it is to sew on paper. Here’s another super-easy, fun project that yields impressively cool results, and proves that sewing on paper is still fun.
My nephew Tyler graduated from high school last weekend. The first grandchild and nephew in my family, he’s been very close to me and my husband, visiting and staying with us often, going on vacations with us, and being our first “baby” before we were even married. Then we had our own babies, who loved “My Tyler” (their name for him) as much as we did. Now that he’s 18, Tyler is a little less interested in Aunt Jenny and Uncle Scott, but that’s okay. He let me make him this banner.
When I visited my sister and Tyler in the hospital the night he was born, I announced he should be called Tyler Joe Peanut Butter, and we did call him that on occasion (enough that he now uses it as his Twitter handle). When my sister requested a banner to decorate a blank wall on her stylish patio for his party, it was her idea that we use the full, birthday-inspired nickname.
I’ve made pennant banners out of fabric before, but I needed something faster and less expensive for that many letters (and after one disastrous attempt at applique I knew there was no way I was trying that!). Enter a scrapbook paper theme pack, a huge pack of plain card stock, and six packages of bias tape.
I created an isosceles triangle shape on Microsoft Publisher and positioned one letter within it. (A light dashed line provided cutting guides.) I printed the letters individually on the 8 1/2 by 11 card stock and cut them out using a craft paper trimmer. Then I used one as a pattern to trace onto the patterned paper. After all the triangles were cut, I sewed them into the fold of double-folded bias tape to create the banner.
It’s that easy. I don’t think I even need to write you more instructions, these photos should be enough!
One thing to keep in mind (and that I learned the hard way) is to plan your colors a bit when printing out the letters, so you don’t end up with three blues in a row, or some other pattern of colors you don’t love. I had to reprint a few letters to get a pattern I liked.
It was a fun, easy project that looks terrific on the garage wall, and even the graduate liked it.
Congratulations Tyler Joe Peanut Butter! Love, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Scott
Super cute!! Love the idea of using bias tape. Maybe I can get over my fear of my sewing machine 🙂
Thanks for reading! I think sewing on paper is the perfect way to conquer your machine. Just remember to change needles before you sew on fabric; paper sewing is hard on the needle.