Burlap Christmas Banner Tutorial

Hello everyone, I'm here today with my very first project as part of the Addicted 2 Scrapping Design Team.  Check out our Facebook page HERE, so you can keep up with all of the DT's latest projects.

Our theme this month was Christmas, so I decided to create a banner to hang from my mantel.  

I am going to walk you through step-by-step what I did to create my project.  You will need about a 1/2 yd of burlap, a ruler, a marker, and a pair of fabric scissors.

I cut out 19 rectangles (to spell MERRY CHRISTMAS) measuring 5" wide and 6.5" long.  I marked the spots with a marker and then just cut them out.  I wasn't worried about being too exact.

Next, I folded the burlap in half (hot dog fold = lengthwise) and measured 2" up from the bottom and made a mark.

I then cut on a diagonal from the bottom left corner to the mark 2" up on the fold.  I ♥ this trick, an oldie my Mom taught me! :)

When you unfold it, it should look like this...

You now have the foundation for your banner.  Next up is the letters.  You can choose to do this so many different ways.  I am going to share 2 with you today.  If you own a Cricut, you can cut out letters and use the negative as a stencil.  I used the "Storybook" cartridge.

Cut out your letters using your Cricut.  I made mine 4" tall.  I wanted them big enough to see, but not hanging over the banner.

After I cut out the letters, I used the negative part of the paper that was left over as a stencil.  I would suggest taping this down, to ensure your stencil stays in place.

I used black acrylic paint.  Here's how mine turned out...

The second option for letters is to cut them out of black cardstock with your Cricut and use glossy accents to adhere them to your banner...I chose this option.

I wanted to add a bit of shimmer to my banner pieces, so I sprayed them up with my Golden Sleigh Bells Starburst Spray by Lindy's Stamp Gang....♥ this stuff for Christmas!!!

I use an old box to spray in, so I can keep my work space clean.  After I sprayed the pieces, I used my heat tool to dry them.  This also helps to keep the burlap pieces from curling up.

When you have them all adhered, it should look something like this...

I used some bias binding to hold the banner together.  This is actually from my Grandma, it's circa 1950.  Love that vintage touch! :)

Just a bit of hot glue and the project is complete!

Here's a close-up...

And here's my decorated mantel.

Hope you enjoyed today's project.  Click HERE to check out our Addicted 2 Scrapping Facebook page for crafty inspiration and some wonderful Christmas projects! HUGS :)