Pink Lemonade Bags: Red, White, and a simple tutorial for you!

4th of July Pennant

Materials needed:

1/2 yd each of red, white, and blue quilting cotton fabric
1pkg of coordinating 7/8in bias tape
rotary cutter
plastic guide/ruler
cutting mat
pinking shears (optional)

Step 1~Iron the fabric and also the bias tape to remove any wrinkles.

Step 2~Using your rotary cutter, trim each fabric piece so that it is 18in square.

Step 3~Then cut each fabric piece into 6in tall strips (you should have 3 strips when finished.)

Step 4~Cut each of those strips into 6in squares (you should have 3 sets of squares per strip, for a total of 9 sets of squares.)

Step 5~Using your ruler as a guide, cut each 6in square into a triangle as shown below. Repeat for all of your prints.

You should now have a stack of red, white, and blue triangles to make your pennant.

Step 6~Measure out 12inches from one end of the bias tape. At the 12inch mark, using your zig-zag stitch, sew a few stitches, then sew a couple backwards to lock your stitches in place.

Step 7~Next, place one triangle set, wrong sides together, 1/2" into the fold of the bias tape (see picture for example.) Sew a straight zig-zag line using a 1/4" seam allowance. When you have sewn the first triangle, place the next triangle set (wrong sides together) in the bias tape and continue to sew. Repeat this step using alternating colors of the triangle sets, leaving 12inches of bias tape free. Make sure to sew a few stitches to lock them in place before finishing.

Optional finishing touch~use your pinking shears on each edge of the triangle.

I had extra triangles left over, enough to give them to my Mom so that she can make a pennant for her house too.

I wanted to hang my pennant on my mantle. Here are two options I came up with, which one do you prefer?

Option 1~

Option 2~

Total 4th of July mantle display cost=$8.00
$6.00~for the fabric & bias tape (including some fabric from my stash)
$2.00~for sparkly cellophane star garland
free~4th of July flag lights from my stash.

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I read Beki's post on her 4th of July wreath project a couple of days ago and wanted to make one for our house. I thought it would be a fun project that Jack could do, except I soon found out his knot tying skills weren't quite up to the challenge. So, I finished while watching movies with the kids. I spent $3.00 for the embroidery hoop and some extra prints to complement what was in my stash.

Thanks for the great idea Beki!