Easter Bunting: a DIY Hack
Getting settled into our new home means tackling fun projects that really make the home ours. One of my favorite projects is wall murals in the kids’ rooms. On a trip to Joann Fabrics to get new brushes for the murals, an Easter Garland caught my eye. The crafter in me won out over buying the cute bunting…of course. I saved my family a whopping $12.50, and in an afternoon, had figured out a hack for the Easter bunting from Joann Fabrics. My little crafty heart was happy, which meant everyone else in my home was happy too. Homemade or DIY decorations are a big part of our family’s holiday traditions. I’m really excited to start finding ways to involve my son in the process. This DIY hack for an Easter Bunting I think will come in handy again and again in other projects!
If you’re looking for a quick knitting craft, check out these Easter themed Washcloths.
What You’ll Need To Hack the Easter Bunting:
- Scrap Fabric
- Batting or Stuffing
- Sewing Supplies
- String or twine
- Scissors
- Pattern Making Supplies
Making the Pattern or Template: Step 1
As a two dimensional art major in college, I still very much love sketching. I don’t do it nearly enough though. When I get a chance like this, I take it. I grabbed a drawing notebook and pencil and made a rough sketch of the two shapes: a bunny inspired by the Joann Fabric’s Easter bunting, and a simple Egg. I folded the paper down the center of each drawing and cut it out. This gave me a symmetrical shape. If you like a more organic look, skip the folding part. After cutting out the shapes, I used clear tape to reinforce them a bit and make them easier to trace onto the scrap fabric and batting.
Picking Your Materials: Step 2
I love being able to shop my own fabric stash. Not only does it save fabric from the trash, but it clears up room for me to buy exciting new fabrics! Shopping for craft supplies is a hobby in and of itself for me. I had two fairly large pieces of fabric and decided to use one for each of the shapes. The floral print is left over from my curtain project from my last office/craft room. The lacey white fabric with eyelets is one I haven’t really gotten to use yet, so this was a good practice run. You could choose to use as many fabrics as you like for this project! It’s part of what makes it so much fun! Then I found scraps of Batting that I had left over from my Moses Basket Mattress Make. I used the fabric to sandwich the batting. This gave my bunting shapes a bit more stiffness so that they hold their shape. You can choose to use stuffing or even excess fabric scraps for this as well. I had macrame chording left over from my failed crochet rug project, so I used that as my string.
Stitching It All Together: Step 3
You can hand stitch your bunting, but I chose to use my sewing machine to save a bit of time. Sandwich your bunting between your fabric, wrong sides together. Pin these in place. Then, take your string or twine, and make a loop at one end. I didn’t cut mine because I didn’t know how long I wanted my bunting to be. If you have a specific space, or plan for yours, it is a good idea to measure ahead of time. Then you can do the math and figure out how many shapes you’ll need based on how far apart you want them. I did mine a bit more organically, placing an alternating bunny or egg about every four inches. I used ten of one shape and nine of the other.
Before sewing, run your string through each of your shapes and pin it in place. This will help you sew the pieces to the string rather than having to attach them somehow later. Pin all of your pieces in place, and you’ll have the whole project drafted. You can cut to the chord and make sewing it easier. When sewing, I backstitched over the chord a bit to reinforce it. For the eggs I chose a simple straight stitch. Sew one shape first, then move onto another. You could just work down the string but I found I get into a bit of a rhythm. It worked well with the beautiful detail of the fabric. Then I accidentally chose a zigzag stitch for the bunnies. As soon as I realized my mistake, I actually loved how it looked, and decided to continue it for the remaining bunnies.
