"Here Comes the Bride" — Reusable Banner

Ok, so maybe I should be packing for our trip to the mountains tomorrow, but I just have to share this one last crafty thing before I go.

One of the teachers at my kids school asked me to make a wedding banner for her just like the one Martha Stewart has on her site. Martha's banner tutorial is here. I followed the sewing directions, but I hate iron-on projects because I inevitably mess it up and have to re-do it. Besides, I wanted to make the banner reusable after the wedding, so the teacher could use it in her class room next year too.

So I ditched the iron-on portion of the tutorial and came up with my own solution. I used PhotoTex adhesive fabric instead. This is the coolest stuff! I used it to make my "Love in a Cup" coffee wraps. The cool ostrich feather trim is also removable! Here's how I made the banner.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• Photo-Tex adhesive Ink-Jet fabric
• Cool feather trim (I used Ostrich feather trim)
• (5) Roach clips (spray painted white optional)
• Safety pins (3-4)
• your banner message (Download my alphabet template here)
• an iron and ironing board (to iron the banner material)
• scissors
• (2) pieces of 15"x26" woven fabric or linen
• straight pins
• chalk fabric pencil (I used grey so it shows up on the white material)
• 19" long wooden dowel (1/4" in diameter)
• Sewing machine and sewing supplies

HOW TO:
The reusable Letters— download and print the PDF alphabet on Photo-Tex fabric from your Ink-Jet printer and cut ou your message. Set the letters aside.
The banner— Follow the instructions here EXCEPT for the Iron-on part!
Versatile Trim— To make the banner completely versatile, I made the feather trim removable so the teacher could replace the feathers with any theme she wants down the road. I attached the feather trim to the top of the banner using (3) safety pins. Stick the pin through the back seam and into the feather trim. Then stick the pin back through the banner and secure in the back. Pull the trim tight and pin at each end and in the center. For the trim at the bottom,  I painted metal roach clips (from the jewelry making section of the craft store) white and clipped the trim to the bottom of the banner. The feathers hide the clips.
Adhering the letters— Place your message on the banner and align. To help with letter placement and spacing, I placed an 18" ruler horizontally at the base of each line, peeled of the fabric backing and aligned each letter to the top of the ruler, making sure the words were centered on the banner.

Well, we're off to the mountains tomorrow! I'll keep you posted on our adventures.


Sharing this post with bedifferentactnatural.com.