No-Sew Fabric Bunting

Nothing says “party” quite like a hanging banner or bunting. Seems like there’s hardly a party that I feature on here that doesn’t have one as part of the backdrop, table front, or in mini version dressing up a cake, etc. I admit I like to use them now and then too because it’s a great way to add color and a focal point. What I don’t like to do is spend too much money or time on such things, so I do it the easy way – a no-sew fabric banner that can be changed out and re-purposed over and over again!

I’m going to share my “secret” below as part of my Party Design Basics series, but first here is the evolution of said banner {obviously the evolution of my photography as well ; D }…

My first fabric bunting for my daughter’s ice cream sundae bar, done in green, red, and yellow.

The bunting evolved into this primary colored version with the addition of blue fabric for the Plains, Trains, & Automobiles party.

The latest incarnation is this brightly colored bunting I did for a Celebrations article. The new ribbon, plus pink, purple, and orange fabric change the look completely.

Here’s the secret to my no-sew, budget-friendly, interchangeable” fabric bunting:

  • Use fabric remnants from the fabric store when making your bunting.
  • Make sure the fabric patterns are subtle and classic, like dots, stripes, and swirls. Use a mix of patterns so it’s easy to switch out and look cohesive later on.
  • Ribbon makes the perfect base. Choose something that can be used for every occasion {like white} or switch it up as you like.
  • A glue gun and pinking shears are your best friends here. The pinking shears prevent fabric from fraying, while the hot glue gun eliminates the need for sewing.

To begin, cut the fabric into triangle “pennants” using the pinking shears. Lay out your ribbon face side down. Apply a thin line of hot glue along the top edge of the fabric, on the PATTERNED side. Attach the pennant to the ribbon and let set for several seconds. Repeat as needed for the length of bunting you want.

By working from the back side, your bunting will look “finished” when you turn it all over to hang.

HERE’S THE GOOD PART {or how to change it up}: With this project you can switch out fabric as easy as 1,2,3, and make a whole new bunting for another occasion. All you have to do is set up your iron on the ‘cotton’ setting, and run it over the area where the fabric is attached to the ribbon. This will loosen up the hot glue so that you can peel off the fabric and place a new color or pattern as needed.

As I’ve shown in the photos above I went form 3 colors {red, green, yellow}, to 4 colors {red, green, yellow, blue}, to 6 colors {green, yellow, blue, pink, purple, orange} just by removing and re-applying new pieces of fabric.

This is one of my favorite party decorating tips because even though I CAN sew, the process of dragging out and setting up my machine, then threading the bobbin, then threading the machine is…..daunting. I’m just sayin’ a glue gun is a party girls best friend….

This is also super budget-friendly since you can re-use the fabric pieces when they suit your color scheme.  I’ve used the yellow and green pieces in all the banners, which has saved time and money in the end.

Let me know if you give this a try!

For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Cheers!

 

Sharing is caring!

Similar Posts

10 Comments

  1. Ahhhhhhh…I am getting ready for my 1 year old little girls party and was stressing out about how to do this. I really wanted to have them as decorations but I do not sew along with no green thumb 🙂 So I googled no sew bunting and there you were!! Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you for posting this!

  2. This is such a wonderful idea and I am definitely going to try it soon. Thanks so much for all the great ideas.

  3. What a fabulous idea! As I was reading the article, I kept thinking…”how in the world is this interchangeable??” And wa la, it is!! 🙂

    1. Amy & Lisa, I was thinking the same thing! I need to go through my fabric scraps. I know I have some simple & cute patterns. This is a great idea.

  4. Neat idea, didn’t know that it is so simple. Someday would like to know, how your photography evolved:) I am trying to learn photography myself.:)

    1. Thanks Monica. Maybe I’ll include what LITTLE I know about photography in a future post for the series.
      : )

Comments are closed.