Banner tutorial (Part two)

Ok, the last part left off with the pressing of the first few pieces and matching them up.

Here are the first few pieces all fixed on.

Once all your pieces have been fixed, stand back and admire! Now it’s time for the last few touches, the eyelets.

These are what we used:

Size 14mm is a good size, just right to get a piece of string or cord through.  They are a little difficult to attach though but worth it in the end.

First you make a hole with the special tool by banging it with a hammer which cuts out a circle.  You then put the front and back pieces on and position the tool over the top again:

Then you bang it as hard as you can with a hammer…

We had to hit it about 20 times with a hammer to make the edges properly fold inwards.

(Tip:  After we did the first one we thought that there might be a problem with the canvas fraying where the hole had been cut so we put fabric glue around the edges of the hole to seal them just in case!)

I hemmed the fabric at the end just in case my design had gone a bit wonky!  I folded the edge over 2 cm and then another 2 cm again and pinned then stitched the edges.  With canvas you could leave the edges if you wanted, especially if you get really thick stuff but I would recommend hemming it if you can.  I hemmed mine in a nice matching pink thread.

Here is the banner all hung up and finished:

General craft banner tips:

1. Pick a nice eye catching design, your logo would work well as it helps people associate it with you.

2. Keep it nice and simple, not too much detail.

3. If using transfers, always keep your banner stored rolled up instead of folded, it helps eliminate horrible creases in the transfers!