I have a new obsession – bunting made from Vintage books. Such a simple item to make, and with such a lovely outcome. Since I started making these a few days ago I have already gifted 4 different sets to friends and family, and it seems I am not the only one who likes them. Look away if you don’t like the idea of cutting up old books.
1. Find yourself a pile of old books from the Op Shop. I selected ones that were in really bad condition, that maybe have no true use anymore. Keep in mind that when cut the area you are selecting will only show a very small part of a picture, so try and pick books that have smaller pictures and good strong colours. For the one in our home I used “The First Book of The Caribbean” which has lots of pictures in teal and gunmetal gray. I would also recommend avoiding glossy books, as the paper may curl over time.
2. Using a craft punch, cut circles from the pages. Try to select pages that will have a picture or colour on each side. Mine have a few circles with words on one side, but you probably wouldn’t want that across the whole bunting. I used a Fiskars Medium Lever Punch with a 1 inch circle. As a guide for this punch size, 60 circles made approximately 4 metres, with 45 circles making about 3 metres.
3. Get your sewing machine out and use a needle that you use for paper only. Place your first disc under the needle and start sewing. I gently pulled the cotton from the back of the machine while letting the machine sew for about 2 inches between each circle. It’s a good idea to spread your pieces of paper about a bit so that you can select a variety of colours and patterns as you sew. I used white cotton, but you could easily mix it up and use a bright colour or black for impact.
4. You’re done! Put them in some cute packaging as a gift, or hang some around your own home. This is ours, hanging between the lounge and dining room. It’s very sweet having a row of dots across the room. And don’t worry about them getting tangled, a quick shake and they untangle with ease.
On a completely different note, I have the honour of being part of the Autumn edition of Hazed Magazine, which is rather exciting. It’s a really wonderful magazine – dedicated to New Zealands Indie Design community, and I am included in a really interesting article about blogging as part of letting people know about you and what you create. And best of all – it’s free! You can read it online here.
littleminx.wordpress.com 
I made one of these for my kitchen in Jan and put it up after the Christmas triangle bunting came down. Mine was from a stack of circles I’d punched from wrapping paper two years back which had been sitting in my sewing desk ever since. I love the idea of making one from old books though, I have quite a few of those stashed away for crafty endeavours.
Also (forgot to add) if you use two different coloured cottons then it makes a pretty twisted effect.
Thanks for that Meg – what a great idea! I wondered about different shapes too x