How to Sew Bunting for Canada Day Decorations

I thoroughly enjoy decorating the outside of our home for Canada Day.

Bunting use to be a very popular way to decorate and if you look through old picture of England, America and Canada during patriotic celebrations, houses and business where typically decorated with them.

The name bunting actually referred to the type of fabric that was used for the draped and flag buntings. I use nylon material so it can withstand the weather.

This is a fun project that you will be able to display with pride every year.

You can make these buntings to custom fit your windows.

They are basically two strips of fabric, one red, one white, that are sew together and gathered in the middle and stapled to a piece of wood.

I have three buntings on each window but they are all attached to one wood piece.

It is held in place on the ledge of the window by string that is attached to the wood and pulled through the window ( I removed the screen and then placed it back) and the string is held in place by the screen.

Measure the window sill that you are going to put the bunting on. Cut a piece of 1 by 2 inch lumber the length of the sill. In my case the window sill was 72 inches long.

Because it was so long I could not do one bunting as the amount of material needed to make it would have been excessive so I make one large bunting and two small ones, one for each side.

I used nylon fabric as it withstands the weather conditions. For the large middle bunting cut one piece of white fabric 60 inches by 11 1/2 inches and one piece of red fabric 60 inches by 11 1/2 inches.

I finish the edges of my fabric by sewing them on a turning foot. This is to stop the fabric from fraying. If you have a serger you could serge the edges.

Sew the white and red piece together to have a white and red strip.

On the top of the white side, with a needle and thread, gather all along the edge. It is best if you use a heavy coat thread and double it up.

Pull the gather together and knot it off.

You will have a nice semi-circle.

This is your bunting and you are going to attach it to your wood piece. Center it on the wood.

Turn the fabric under at the top and staple to the wood. You might have to leave the last 10 inches unstapled so the curve of the bunting will remain full. It will be covered by the two smaller buntings. The fabric will naturally form a curve with the edge rolled under the bunting.

Now that the middle bunting is made you make two smaller buntings. Repeat the process two more times with red and white fabric 60 inches by 8 inches. Staple them the same way on either side of the large bunting.

This is how the 72 inch bunting looks draped over a railing.

I attach them to my window sills by placing the wood piece far out on the window sill and tie two long pieces of nylon string to the wood. I pulled the string into the house and I used the screen on the window to hold it in place.

This is how they look on the front of the house. I attach flags to the windows with clear duct tape and wired flags to the outdoor lights.

If your window sill is around 48 inches then you can make a single bunting using a red strip 60 inches by 12 inches and a white strip 60 inches by 12 inches.

The process it the same but you staple the full edge to the length of wood.

You can make bunting any size but you will have to decide how wide you want the strips to be. Divide the length of the window sill by 4 and that is how wide to make your strips. (The fabric that I used was 60 inches wide and that is why I used that dimension.)

Here is the bunting on my gazebo which makes a festive sight looking out our back windows.

A great way to decorate for Canada Day these buntings will keep for years.

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