Here's the final product and I'll try to walk through the tutorial.
Materials needed:
* 18 scraps of fabric - they can be two different colors/patterns or all different colors. One side I did 9 different "girl" colors and the other side I had only 2 different "boy" colors that I alternated. The size of your circle will determine how large your scraps need to be. I started with my scraps, then decided the size - but my circles are around 6 1/2 inches in diameter.
* Fusible interfacing (I bought the sewable one). I found it available in 1 yard or 6 yard rolls. I bought the 6 yard package, I wasn't sure if 1 yard would be enough - it probably is though.
* Iron
* Sewing machine
* Pinking shears (or borrow them)
* Yarn, thread or other material to hang the banner
* Colored pencil
* Different color felt squares for the letters. I used one square for each side. I chose orange letters for one side and green letters for the other.
* Colored thread to match your felt colors and to use to stitch circles together.
* OPTIONAL: 18 Eyelets LARGER than 5/32" with an "eyelet kit" and hammer or preferably an eyelet press
* Clear nail polish
Instructions:
1. Gather any scrap material you might have around. I had a friend give me some of her scraps. The only material I bought was the "sports" pattern material that I found in the remnant bin at a fabric store.
2. I decided to make my banner round, I've seen some with triangles or squares. I just liked how I imagined the circles would look (it also worked out better with the shapes of my scraps).
3. I created a Word document with the letters I wanted on my banner ("celebrate"). I played around with the font and size until I found what I liked and then printed it out on regular paper. Cut out the letters.
4. Cut out the fusible interface to the size of the felt rectangle. Iron on to the square (follow the instructions). Keep the paper on.
5. Pin the cut out printed letter onto the interfaced-covered felt. Cut out the letters on the felt with sharp scissors (a rotary cutter may help).
6. Decide how large of a circle you would like your fabric. Find some type of pattern- or make one (I found a tupperware lid that was the right size.) and trace with a colored pencil around your fabric. Cut out fabric circles.
7. Trace 9 circles of the interfacing the same size as the fabric circles and cut out.
9. Arrange your circles in the order you want them to hang (alternating patterns, rainbow pattern, etc.). Gather the felt letters for one side - remove the paper from the interfacing, center on the circle and pin down. Leave a little more room at the top, than the bottom (especially with the tall letters like "b", "t" or "l". - so you have room to string the yarn to hand it with). Iron each felt letter onto the circles.
10. Using the same colored thread, stitch around each felt letter. I used an interlocking stitch (I think that's what it's called)- but you could use a contrasting color fabric and use a fancy stitch, if you'd like it to show up.
11. Once all your letters are stitched onto each circle (for both sides) pin together the circles for each "side". remember that "celebrate" will be backwards on one side - so the "c" from the one side will be pinned to the "e" for the other side fabric, etc. Its a little confusing, so you might want to write out the word so you can visualize what you are doing. When you are all done - line it up to make sure all one side spells "celebrate" and flip it over and make sure the other side does too - it's easier to fix unpinning it at this point :).
12. Once you have all the circles pinned together, in the right order and lined up the way you want it to hang, iron the two sides together. Since you have the interfacing from one side, they will stay stuck together while you sew around the edges.
13. I chose to show my stitching around the circles - with circles, I think it would be a little harder to sew the wrong sides together and turn it out, but you could possibly do it (squares and / or triangles would be easier if you didn't want the stitches to show). I just used a regular stitch in a colored thread that matched boths sides fairly well (navy blue). I stitched about 1/2 inch from the edge.
14. Finish the edges by using pinking shears to cut about 1/4" from the edge, all the way around. I liked the zigzag, unfinished look on the circle.
15. I decided to use eyelets to create a "finished" look when stringing the yarn through the circles to hang. Decide where you would like your eyelets to go. I used a ruler to line up the two sides and then marked about 1 1/2 " apart two small dots with my colored pencil.
16. I found an "eyelet kit" at a local fabric store. You use the tool they provide and hammer and smash the eyelet between the layers of fabric. I'll be honest - it was a little difficult to get it to work and look nice.
Here is what the finished product looks like with the eyelets in place: You can see on the purple circle, it is the other side of the eyelet and it didn't go completely through covering the fabric - but still seemed to create a nice "finished" look.
*Here's a longer more detailed instruction: Thread the yarn in and out the eyelets on one side of fabric, in and out on the other side of fabric - in the picture the yarn "loop" is only showing on the solid colored fabric - so letters "e" "e", "r" and "t".)
18. Hang up and enjoy!
I really only worked on this in the evenings after the boys were in bed, so it did take me 3 or 4 nights to make. Hopefully these instructions are clear, but not too lengthy. I did enjoy making this and have already used it 3 times - two birthdays and a preschool graduation! :)
