Tired of constantly reminding your kids (or your spouse) to wash their hands? Let this DIY embroidered banner do the nagging...I mean talking, for you!
Talk about cute...and timely! This little cuteness of a banner is so simple to make and adds a little sass to your decor.
Design it.
I chose this word design from urbandthreads.com, and best of all….it’s free! The embroidery design world is your oyster. Don’t want a banner reminding you to wash your hands? Then the hunt is on! Search online until your heart's content for digital embroidery designs or dream up your own design and get it digitized. No embroidery machine? No problem! Try your hand at drawing your own design and taking out the ol’ needle and thread for some hand embroidery fun.
Stitch it.
This isn’t a ‘how to embroider’ tutorial but I didn’t want to leave you hanging! Check out these great tips for machine embroidery beginners from Sulky, or this comprehensive list of hand embroidery tutorials from Sublime Stitching.
Cut it.
Cut it real good! (See what I did there?) Anyway, now it’s time to mark and cut the shape of your banner. These are the dimensions I used:
Your banner dimensions may vary from mine and will depend on your embroidery design and size. Remember this is a guide, feel free to experiment and get creative! Position the design, keeping in mind the seam allowances needed on each edge, and the top fold allowance. Once you decide on dimensions and shape cut out your embroidered fabric as well as a backing fabric.
Sew it.
Remember that pillow you sewed in middle school Home Ec. class? It’s no more difficult than that. Just place the fabric pieces right sides together and sew along the sides and bottom of the banner, leaving the top open. We will be using the open top to turn the banner right side out after sewing. I added a pom-pom trim by sandwiching it between the two layers as I sewed.
TIP: If using trim, place it on one layer of fabric first and hand baste it in place. I know, I know...who’s got time for that? But believe me, it's worth the small amount of effort it takes. When positioning your trim, make sure the finished edge is pointed toward the center of the banner because we will be turning it all around once it’s sewn. This may seem counter-intuitive at first.
Once it's sewn together, turn it right side out through the open edge at the top. Give it a good press, making sure the seams are even at the edges and the finished shape is what you wanted. Fold the top over 1.5 inches to form the top pocket edge. Sew this fold down across the top.
TIP: Finish the edge of the top of the banner before folding over and sewing it down. I serged this edge, but if you don't have a serger you can finish it another way like a zig-zag stitch or pinking shears. Here is a great list of seam finishes that do not require a serger from Treasurie.
Finish it.
To finish off my banner I used a wooden dowel, string, and wooden beads. First, I slid the wooden dowel through the top channel we sewed in the last step. I attached a string on one side of the dowel, strung on wooden beads, and attached it to the other side.
Et voila! All that’s left to do is hang!