How to make bunting - Eden Project communities

You will need

Cardboard
Scissors
Pencil
Ruler
Hole punch (if using paper)
Blu-Tack or drawing pins
Scraps of material
Ribbon, bias tape or even old shoe laces to string your bunting on
Adhesive: double-sided tape, glue-gun, stapler or needle and thread

Instructions

1) Make a bunting template

Using a ruler, draw the outline of a triangle onto your piece of cardboard. Take your scissors and carefully cut out the shape to create your own bunting pattern. For the classic bunting size, we recommend marking measurements of 16cm for the top edge and 22cm for the sides. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could try different shapes and sizes for your template.

Or, make your life easier by using our Big Lunch bunting template!

Download bunting template

2) Cut out your flags

Attach your bunting pattern to pieces of scrap material or paper using pins or Blue-Tak so that it doesn’t move while you are cutting out your flag.

Carefully cut around the template to create the flags and repeat until you have the amount you want.

table with scissors and bunting being made

3) Space out your flags

Space your flags evenly along the material you have chosen to string them on. Bias tape is a narrow strip of fabric, handy for finishing off rough edges of fabric; you can find it in various colours and sizes in your nearest sewing shop or large supermarket.

Ribbon also works well for bunting – try to find fun colours and patterns to make your bunting stand out. You could even use old shoe laces or string — get creative!

fabric bunting on a table

4) Get sticking

Affix your flags to your string, being careful to leave a decent amount of free space either end for hanging your bunting. You can make bunting in a variety of ways.

For fabric bunting, a needle and thread will give you a lovely polished look, or a hot glue-gun is quick and easy (mind your fingers with the heat).
For paper bunting, use a hole punch in each corner of the top of each triangle, then weave a ribbon through the holes.
If you’re short on time, try out double-sided tape or even a stapler!

5) Hang up

… and enjoy!

Hints and tips for making bunting

Remember, bunting can be made out of almost anything — recycled scraps of old fabric, old clothes, plastic bags or even old tents. To reduce waste, think about what materials you could repurpose. If you’ve been having a clear out, have a rummage before you take unwanted clothes to the charity shop, and use some for fabric.
Take a good look through your recycling – cereal boxes, magazines and newspapers would work well for the flags or for cutting out and sticking on as decorations.
If your material is coloured or you can decorate both sides, it’ll look lovely from all directions!
Try different colours or designs or you could follow a repeat pattern. If you’re using plain material, you might want to jazz it up and decorate with photos or pictures, paint, pens, stamps, stickers or other treasures you can find.
Your flags can be almost any shape – you don’t need to stick to the traditional triangle. Try rectangles, letters or go freestyle and cut creative shapes out of folded recycled paper (like making paper snowflakes).
Hang string in your street, drop flags through letterboxes and invite people to add their flag.