DIY Banner Wall Hanging (with no sew option)

I have had the materials for this project for umm..... about a year. Which is awful. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it. 2016 definitely needs to be the year for this girl to kick her bad procrastinating habits to the curb for good! Wish me luck with that, would ya?!  :) This beauty was worth the wait, however! I absolutely love how it turned out. It has it's imperfections, but it was handmade by me for our miracle baby and so I think it has a special place in my heart for that reason. 

I was super intimidated when I first thought about trying to make a canvas wall hanging. I do that a lot (psych myself out) and I'm sure some of you do the same, but I'm here to tell you that this was much easier than I anticipated it would be and I would venture to say that even a beginner DIY-er could successfully complete this project. 

MATERIALS

Here are the things you will need to make this banner wall hanging:

Materials -

• Lighweight Canvas or Fabric to make your banner
• Felt for the letters (you could also use fabric, leather, cardstock, etc.)
• Twine or Yarn to hang banner and to make decorative tassel (optional)
• Dowel

Tools -

• Glue Gun or Sewing Machine (either will work great!)
• Scissors

RECTANGLE PIECE FOR BANNER BASE

STEP 1.) Make sure to iron your canvas or fabric that you are going to use for the banner base before you start. Next, decide how big you want to make your banner. I just proportioned mine to the 12 inch long dowel that I purchased. Before I hemmed any of my edges my rectangle piece measured 14 inches long (from top to bottom) and 10 inches wide (from side to side). 

SIDES FOLDED OVER BEFORE HEM

STEP 2.) Fold over the left and right sides of your banner base about 1/2 inch to make a hem. Make sure to iron them down before you attempt to sew or glue them. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You will regret it if you do - - - >  #beentheredonethat. Hem the sides with a sewing machine or glue gun (both work just as well). 

BACK OF BANNER SHOWING DOWEL CASING

STEP 3.) After the sides of your banner are hemmed, you can move to the top of the banner to create the casing for your dowel. My dowel was 1/2 inch in diameter so I folded my fabric over 1 1/2 inches to make sure there was ample room to slide in the dowel. Next you can sew or glue the casing. Then you are ready to insert your dowel. Can you see it starting to take shape now?!

STEP 4.) I don't have any pictures of this part, because honestly I struggled with getting the points on my banner to look the way I envisioned them. Halfway through this step (after I had already made the cut) I realized I should have stuck with an easier banner shape like THIS ONE. It would have made this project go more seamlessly and saved me some time. 

STEP 5.) Now for the fun part!! After your banner base is complete you are ready to decorate and bedazzle it to your heart's content. Since Kate's nursery theme is very soft and sweet I stuck with a neutral palette and simple design. I enlisted the help of my Cricut machine to cut out paper letters to use as a guide before cutting my felt because my scissor skills are horrible and I didn't trust myself to be able to freehand the letters. After my felt letters were cut out I used a hot glue gun to attach them to the banner. Lastly, I made a fun little tassel out of baker's twine to add a little whimsy (awesome tassel tutorial HERE) and then tied twine around the dowels to create the hanging piece. 

I haven't decided exactly where I want to hang my banner yet, but I had so much fun moving it around the room to take pictures for this post! Honestly, it looked perfect in just about every place I put it. It's such a versatile piece and I hope that when she's older Kate will love it as much as I do. What do you think about the finished product? Is this something that you would attempt? 

You guys, it feels so wonderful to be blogging again! Thank you for taking the time to read this tutorial! Make sure you tell me if you try this project. I would LOVE to see what you create!!!

xoxo,
Hannah