I made this fun Happy Birthday banner for Emma’s ninth birthday party using a banner (three, actually – they are tied together) that was already cut with a laminated backing that came in a package of burlap for me to play with from BurlapFabric.com. The letters were cut out of scraps that were left over from making my burlap tablecloth.
This banner was easy to make! I cut out 14 rectangles from the blue burlap fabric so that all of the letters would be based off of the same shape. Then I cut each letter out by hand, so no two letters are alike. I did it that way because that’s what I find easiest, but I think it works well for something as casual as a burlap banner.
I had intended to make the banner on my own, but when Anna woke up from her nap early (see the sleep lines on her arms and forehead?) I let her brush on the Mod Podge. Mod Podge on its own was a little sticky for this project; you have to be careful with burlap because it frays so easily. I added about one third as much water as Mod Podge and wound up with a glue that was plenty sticky but that could be brushed on gently, even by my two-year-old.
Note: we have washable Mod Podge that is much better for crafting with kids, but I had set this project up to do on my own, and as you can tell from the photo, Anna is a very neat crafter.
After Anna had covered each letter in glue, I took it and pressed it flat onto the banner. This was the messy part of the process, but it looked great once the glue dried!
The mod podge made the banner pieces curl a little bit as the glue died, but this was easily fixed by placing the pieces underneath heavy books for a few hours once the mod podge was dry.
The banner was a hit at Emma’s party, and it doesn’t look any worse for wear after having several children run under it and play with it. We will be using it for many more birthday parties!
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
What a great idea to get Anna to help! I LOVE birthday banners! This one is fantastic!
Wow, that banner is beautiful! If you hadn’t posted on it, I would have thought you purchased it!
Yes, I was going to say and you can use it over and over!
Great idea to cut out rectangles first!
That was a trick Mike came up with back when I was making Christmas stockings for our family. It works really well!
Anna is such a cute and neat helper! This turned out beautifully!!
It was really fun to have her help!
It turned out beautifully (and can’t be reused too!)
I love that texture, and how you overlaid the blue over the brown (initially I thought you painted the letters on!).
I think it’s adorable. I should try a banner with my kids at some point soon.