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Festive miniature bunting flags that you can string onto a necklace or as decoration...
Nothing says “Fiesta!” like colorful bunting flags hanging all over town…

Another quick way to use up fabric scraps. I dreamt these tiny stringable fabric bunting flags up just before falling asleep last night, and spent a quick hour this morning making some, to see if the idea would work. The sort of thing you can make using junk from around your home…I found everything I needed just rummaging through my “crafting junk” boxes.

Can be made with colorful scrapbook paper, too, as decor, though I don’t know if I’d wear paper bunting—wouldn’t look good for very long, and the sharp points might be irritating to the skin.

Posted by Smallest Forest from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia • Published See Smallest Forest's 15 projects »
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  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 1
    Step 1

    Cut a length of double-sided tape and place it on the sheet of wax paper or baking parchment.

    Fabric Bunting Beads

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 2
    Step 2

    Using the marker, draw a triangle on the tape’s backing paper. Center the flag’s point (roughly) and run the two diagonal lines all the way to the edges of the tape. You can making the bunting triangle as short (squat) or long (narrow) as you like. The marker ink doesn’t stick very well to the tape’s waxy backing paper…it’s okay, you just need an approximate idea, anyway.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 3
    Step 3

    Measure the length of that first flag, and mark out the rest of the tape to the same length…that is if you want uniform-sized flags. You might want to go for a wonky, uneven bunting, in which case, measure out whatever different lengths you wish.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 4
    Step 4

    Cut the tape up along your drawn lines, keep the pieces on the baking parchment for easy access later.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 5
    Step 5

    Take one piece of tape and stick it to the wrong side of your fabric scrap.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 6
    Step 6

    Fold the fabric—the end with tape on it—over so that the fold lies right along one short edge of the tape.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 7
    Step 7

    Cutting through both layers of fabric at the same time, trim the fabric scrap right up to the other three sides of the tape. Don’t trim the edge where the fabric is folded.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 8
    Step 8

    Here’s your little rectangle of fabric, now, with tape over half of it.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 9
    Step 9

    Peel back the tape’s backing paper.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 10
    Step 10

    Lay your plastic tubing on top of the fold line, with the tip of your tubing going all the way to the edge of the fabric rectangle.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 11
    Step 11

    If you centered the tubing properly, part of it will touch the double-sided tape, and you can now pick the tubing up in one hand, and wrap the two fabric flaps around the tubing.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 12
    Step 12

    Try to make sure the two flaps of fabric line up edge-to-edge…especially the far side of the flag, opposite the tubing. If the left and right sides don’t match perfectly it’s not a big deal, you’ll be cutting those sides off, anyway.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 13
    Step 13

    I did a few more of these, side-by-side, on the same tube…

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 14
    Step 14

    (Sorry about the inky fingers, I got the permanent marker, from the first steps, all over them!)
    Using a strong pair of scissors or a craft knife, cut the fabric flags free. Try and cut the tubing right up to fabric, so the plastic doesn’t show.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 15
    Step 15

    Starting from the center where you want the sharp point of the flag to be, cut first to one side, and then to the other, on a diagonal that ends at the edge of the fabric, just before the tubing.

  • How to make a beads. Tiny Bunting Beads - Step 16
    Step 16

    And now you have a little flag that you can thread onto some cord.

    Alternate them with chunky, colorful beads, if you like.

    Now you can go to the Fiesta!

    Thanks for viewing my tutorial.
    I would very much love to see how you use these beads! If you try this tutorial, please post a pic of your finished work in the Comments section. Thanks!

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Comments

Peggy C.
Peggy C. · San Francisco, California, US · 2 projects
These are so incredibly cute and festive! I'm dying to make them as birthday girl/boy necklaces for the staff at my school for their special day. If I do, I'll post a picture. Thanks for the inspiration!
Reply
 p
p · 2 projects
Wow! They look mega cute, i really want to make these when i have some spare fabric, i think i would maybe sew it if that would work, instead of glue though Happy
Reply
ijustwalkedin
ijustwalkedin · Leeds, England, GB · 11 projects
these are so cute! Definitely having a go at these, and probably making my girl Guides have a go too!
Reply
kitty f.
kitty f.
I used silver wire (gauge 28), seed beads and very fine paper, rather than fabric, to make teeny tiny bunting to decorate 3D beach huts on a birthday card. It worked brilliantly. Thank you for the inspiration!
Reply
Nancy W.
Nancy W.
I posted a link to this tutorial today.

Nancy Ward
PaperFriendly
http://www.nancywardcrafts.com
Reply
Essex Debs
Essex Debs · Bellevue, Washington, US · 32 projects
Scraps of steam to fuse work well.Perfect for matchbox swap too !
Reply
Elizabeth
Elizabeth · La Celle-sous-Gouzon, Limousin, FR · 46 projects
Very cute!
Reply
Corvus
Corvus · 1 project
clever idea! never seen anything like it.
Reply
Nilüfer
Nilüfer · Ankara, Ankara Province, TR · 31 projects
I love it! great ideaHappy
Reply
Erika L.
Erika L. · Melbourne, Victoria, AU
Genius! I always keep even the tiniest scraps of fabric I like and I am on a total bunting kick... this is like the happiest marriage of all time!
Reply
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