How to make a simple patchwork bunting

In preparation for our party in the forest, I have been making the bunting. I wanted to make something different from the usual triangular shape of the flags and I decided to make a simple square patchwork bunting using the leftover cotton fabric.

But first I looked at the pieces of fabric I had available and gathered them into three groups, with the intention of making three different kinds of bunting, starting from the simple patchwork one.

I decided to use pink, red and beige fabric for my patchwork bunting. The flags were to be made with the simple squares on one side and, on the other side, the squares made with the triangles sewn together.

I cut the first 15 x 15cm (6" x 6") square, then I folded the fabric several times, using the first square for measurement (you can make a paper square first if you prefer). I cut the fabric along the edges of the square, cutting through several layers of fabric to save time.

Next I cut the slightly bigger, 16.5 x 16.5cm squares and cut them in half along the diagonal to make the triangles. These triangles will be sewn together in pairs of contrasting colors and they will form the squares.

I continued to cut the smaller squares and the triangles (which were cut out of the bigger squares), using different colored fabric, making sure that in the end I had twice as many triangles as the squares.

I also cut the strips of pink fabric (4cm wide) and sewed them together to make a long tape (about 15 meters long) for inserting the bunting flags into it.

I started to sew the pairs of triangles together to form the squares.

Then I ironed the newly formed squares. They were now the same size as the smaller squares, about 15 x 15cm.

I paired the patchwork squares with the simple squares ...

... and I sewed the pairs together on three sides, leaving one side open.

After cutting the excess of fabric from the edges, I clipped the corners slightly in order to make it easier to turn the pieces inside out.

And after turning all the pieces inside out, I sewed them close to the edges on three sides.

I placed all the pieces on the table, grouping them according to the colors, and I decided on the order of how they were going to be sewn into the tape. Then I sewed them into the pink strip, placing the strip on top of the open side of the plain square (not the patchwork one), allowing the space of about 10cm between each square.

I finished by folding the edges of the strip and sewing the strip on top of the patchwork side of the squares.

After I have ironed it, the patchwork bunting is now ready:

Happy making :)

Yolanta

How to make a simple patchwork bunting