Bunting, Bloomies & Boutiques

I know I should be planning my Thanksgiving menu in my head, making lists, and setting out the good dishes.   But instead I spent the day making bunting for my boutique and then after dinner, spent several hours making Bloomies.   My Thanksgiving food has been purchased.  The bird is in the fridge defrosting.  Our Thanksgiving will only be our kids and grandkids.  We will be keeping it casual and have even decided to use paper plates!! (GASP)  I am not a fan of using paper plates.  But I have been so incredibly busy lately, and making the clean up for a big meal easier sounded pretty appealing this year.
I wanted to make yards and yards of bunting to string across the yard for our boutique.  I have made bunting before, using fabric.  I have some pretty bunting hanging in my sewing room that I love.  I made some for Fourth Of July out of fabric too.  This time though, I didn't want to go to the expense of using fabric.  I thought I could make it using pretty paper.  I had a large tablet of scrapbooking paper in pretty muted colors.  I wanted to make the best use of the paper, so after doing some simple math,  I figured out I could cut each sheet in half, and then get two bunting pennants out of each sheet of paper.

Then I made a template measuring the size I wanted with my yardstick.  I often use inexpensive plastic placemats for templates, because they are sturdy, cut easily and are very inexpensive.

I used my paper cutter and cut each sheet into two, and then cut the bunting pieces.  They spilled out onto the table in messy stacks of pretty paper, all cut into elongated triangles, ready to be sewn to bias tape to form  happy bunting flags.   In addition to the cut templates, I wound up with the skinnier flags seen on the right.  I felt it would be a shame to waste these, so they became bunting too.

I used 6 packages of 1/2 inch, double fold bias tape.  Each was 3 yards.  So I wound up with 18 yards of bunting.  I had to string it out somewhere to see it, so I haphazardly strung it out in my living room.

Strung this way, and that.

And across another doorway, is some of the smaller leftover pieces that I made bunting with too.

Another thing I loved about using the scrapbooking card stock, was that the paper is patterned on both sides.  Each side different.  So it is pretty from either direction it is seen.  I may never use fabric for bunting again!
Tonight I worked on my Bloomies.   I need to make about 5 more, and then I am done with those for the show.

To display these, I am using a styrofoam tree form.  It is so pretty and full.
My sewing room is an absolute mess!  I can't even think about it right now.   Manana.

My pile of crochet and knit items is growing daily.  Sorry it is blurry.

And now, I must go lay heady down.
G'night.
XO  Kris