Have you ever come across birthday banners on Pinterest or Etsy and think I could do that?
Well… you CAN and you SHOULD! Making your own banner is easy to do and I’m here to help you! If you checked out my original post about my son’s first birthday party, then you already know why I did quite a few things DIY but also because I enjoy it. If you haven’t you can check it out here however I was trying really hard to save as much money as I could.
I have a ton of craft supplies laying around and I thought, why not make my own banner? If you are looking to make any type of banner, whether it’s for a birthday, holiday, seasonal, etc. follow along. I think this would help you!
I had purchased the canvas banner from Michaels a while ago. If I see a sale or clearance items, I usually grab and save it for a need down the road. I had purchased this item years ago (literally at least 5+) so it definitely came in need lol … I searched for some to make it easier for you and found that you can purchase it at Michaels here. It’s the Martha Stewart brand and it comes in burlap, canvas, and chalkboard. You can also find a variety of styles such as pennant, round or fishtail.
I don’t own much fabric and the fabric I do have weren’t all the colors I needed so I had to go to my local craft store. Keep in mind, fabric can be expensive so if you see that you can choose a sale/clearance item(s) OR have a coupon – use it! You also do not need a yard of fabric. You can get the project done by using a half yard or less. Also, some local craft stores (such as Joann Fabrics) sell scrap fabric for under $1.
I had to purchase the rick rack ribbon however I had the pom-pom ribbon from another banner I reused, and the same goes for the ticket ribbon. Honestly, I think the ticket ribbon was on a gift I got for Christmas. Some type of “movie night” set and I liked the ribbon so I saved it for future use lol – I’m always saving things!
The O N E letters in red on the canvas I had printed from the Cricut then ironed on. The website dafont.com is where I go to download all my fonts for FREE. I like to design in photoshop so it comes in handy and also transfers to my Cricut program. I found a few Cirus/Carnival theme fonts I used for various projects for my son’s party and this was one of them. This font, in particular, is found under “Carnival” if you search in their search box and the name is Carnivalee Freakshow by Christopher Hansen.
This banner took me under an hour to make. I’m very particular with things such as figuring out what colors I wanted to be near each other 🙈 It was super easy to make!
If you are looking to make the same or a similar banner, the step by step instructions is below.
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Supplies Needed:
- Banner Material (Canvas, Burlap, etc.)
- Iron-On Vinyl (Not Mandatory. This was used to add the ONE letters)
- Scrapbook Paper/Cardstock and Glue (If you do not have a Cricut Machine will work fine or even letter stickers)
- Scissors
- Twine or String (sturdy)
- Coordinating Fabrics (I used 23″ L x 2″ W for each one)
- You can purchase at a local craft store or if you have scraps. Can even use old clothing/sheets, etc. My local Joann Fabrics always has a scrap section for fabric under $1
- Hole Punch (Only if your banner material doesn’t already have holes)
- Pom Pom Fringe
- If you have any type of ribbon, string, etc. it’ll be fine. It all depends on what style you want your banner to look like.
- Rick Rack Trim
- Rotary Cutter
- I have a rotary cutter. It just makes it easier to cut fabric but it’s not mandatory.
Step 1. Measure how long you want your banner to be and then cut your string to the desired length. For my son’s banner, I wanted it on his high chair, so I took the twine and wrapped it around his high chair to the desired length and cut
Step 2. I took 3 pieces of the canvas pennant material I had, hole punched two holes on each corner where I then strung the twine through. This was the center of my banner.
Step 3. I then figured out how many fabric pieces I wanted on each side of the banner. I chose #13 on each side and then cut 26 pieces of fabric that were 23″ in length by 2″ in width with my rotary cutter. Scissors will work just fine but be sure they are sharp to cut through fabric.
Step 4. After cutting the fabric, I then picked the pattern I wanted and then knotted the fabric to the string. *See image below on how I knotted the fabric. Be sure you don’t pull the fabric too tight or else you won’t be able to move it left to right to adjust placement on the string.
Step 5. I then took my ribbon and attached it on either side of the canvas pennant (only to the left of the first pennant and to the right of the last pennant). I used a red pom-pom ribbon, a blue rick rack ribbon and then a ticket ribbon. Each was 18″ in length.
Step 6. My banner is nearly finished. The only thing left is adding the O N E iron-on vinyl letters. I used my Cricut for this and explain above the font used however if you do not have a Cricut that is fine. You can either cut out letters with cardstock and tape/glue on, you can use fabric paint, paint, or you can use sharpie, marker, anything that is available to you OR you may not even want to add a pennant and just have fabric as your garland banner. It’s all up to you how you want your banner to look like!
Here is what the finished banner looks like:
I hope this encourages you to create your own banner, even if it isn’t for a circus/carnival theme party. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself because you will be surprised by how well your project turns out. Just stay focused and be patient. Don’t forget to share your banner with me in the comments below. I can’t wait to see them!!
If you haven’t seen my original blog post about my son’s first birthday party, check it out here. You can find the details of his party and other fun projects/carnival games!
Thank you for checking out my blog post. Don’t forget to pin to view later! 💙 As always, feel free to share and/or comment with any questions and I will try my best to answer them.