Saturday 24 November 2012

Top Tips For Christmas 2012 – #1

Like many of my friends, I have been struggling with Krusty Allsorts and her Vintage Home programme. Good grief, doesn’t the woman know the word ‘thrift’? I cannot imagine spending fifty pounds on a set of knobs for a chest of drawers!

And as for having your fabric hand printed before you cut it up to make patchwork…well!

lakeland bunting

But for KA, CK and friends, bunting is still ‘on trend’ – the Lakeland stuff [above] will set you back £12.99 for 210cm. Or make your own!

Here's the bunting [double sided] I made for Liz and Jon last year – Christmassy one side, African print on the other

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Here are my top tips for making your own – easily and cheaply
My first tip is about proportion - make it 5 units wide by 8 units deep [inches, centimetres or multiples of either] as I have found that seems to be most pleasing in appearance. Draw a T-shape 5 inches across the top, with an 8” vertical line, and make that into a triangle. That’s your pattern – make lots, out of scrap paper. And for most economical cutting out, put alternate pieces upside down on your fabric. [Apologies if that seems obvious to you- but not everyone knows that trick]

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Second tip - leave a gap between flags - equal to the width, or half the width, of a flag. That makes the bunting much easier to hang, because you can use the spaces to loop over curtain rails etc] and is more economical in terms of fabric.

Third tip - leave a good length of tape [between 30cm and 50cm] at each end for tying.

Fourth tip – [which should probably have come first] – decide if this is going to be long lasting, precious stuff which you will dig out year on year, or a quick project to last a few weeks. If the former, take time, and hem and sew neatly, if the latter, then cut out with pinking shears and forget about fancy finishing off!

Here’s the crib sheet I made for friends who needed yards of the stuff, very quickly, last March [I did that using 6 x 8 triangles for some reason!]

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Fifth tip- if you want to add any lettering, then use bondaweb to applique the letters – quick, effective and unlike glue it allows you to reposition if you get it wrong!

Final tip- afterwards, wind it round a piece of cardboard – it will store tidily – and be so much easier to hang up next time!

13 comments:

  1. I've got to agree with you. The things she does and buys are beautiful, but they are certainly not thrifty, (well maybe they are to her when she is used to spending lots) lol

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  2. Thank you for making me laugh re Kirstie's name. She's turning her vintage/handmade home hand into quite a lucrative business - she's not quite connected to her poor viewers though is she?
    I'm impressed with your bunting tutorial xo

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  3. I watched part of the first episode of KA's new series - that was enough for me. I would have been more interested if she'd been doing things on a budget more like my own.

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  4. I have given up watching Kirsty! Whatever she did in previous programmes always seemed to be finished off by someone else!
    I've made yards of Summer bunting to hang in our French garden, but havent planned any for here....yet.

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  5. That's funny! I have her book, but haven't watched her in action. I remember Elizabethd's humorous comments about her a few years ago. It seems you are in agreement and I would quite agree, as well. I think she's for the younger set who don't bother to acknowledge our generation's great aptitude for this sort of thing.

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  6. Great tips! I haven't made bunting yet, but these directions will make it easier than guessing about it. Thank you.

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  7. I like Kirsty but agree that it is unrealistic. I remember her programme when she done up her house, getting people in ''uk's top handmade wallpaper specialist etc etc £150 per roll''... I dont know of anyone who spends that kind of money.

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  8. I think bunting may be more a British tradition than one you find in the U.S., but I must say, I like the look of it and may just make some for holiday decorations. Thanks for the instruction sheet and tips!

    xofrances

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  9. I saw this the other day and thought that you probably have all the stuff in your stash...

    http://www.tescomagazine.com/homes/interiors/christmas-crafts-how-to-make-a-wreath.html

    Lynn P

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    1. Just checked that out Lynn - I may well have to try her bobbin wreath!! thanks

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  10. Angela, I'll look out for an Edmonds Cookbook for you in second hand stores and if I find one, I'll get your address to post it to you! I looked on an NZ site and was shocked to see it was $29.99 new! Cheers

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