Colorful Bunting for a Backyard Bash

You work hard, try to provide for the family, and then, for one minute, everything´s good. Everyone´s well. Everyone´s happy. In that one minute, you have peace.

-While You Were Sleeping

Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of that one minute of peace.  Often it's at the wedding receptions I photograph, right after dinner.  People are full, happy, enjoying the decorations and atmosphere, surrounded by friends and family with just the right music playing in the background and people are exactly where they want to be at that moment in time.  A summertime, backyard party with friends usually evokes the same feeling.

 

To create those moments takes planning, sometimes!  Last weekend my friend Amanda had a backyard barbeque to celebrate her new house and birthday and I got to help decorate!  I looked at pictures online for inspiration and was drawn to colorful bunting and fun lighting. 

To make the bunting I pulled out all my scrap fabric and used this fantastic blog post from The Longest Year.  Start with a fat quarter, fold in half.  Measure six inches in from the top left corner and continue making triangles from there. 

Cut the pieces with pinking shears.  Sew the two long sides of the triangles together with a long stitch. 

Then I made my own bias tape, which I still find kind of confusing, but this blog by Made and this video helped me.

Then I just laid out the bunting, to make sure I liked the color/fabric order.  Don't look at the mess!

Then I sewed the bunting flags about 3 inches apart, making sure to leave several inches at each end to tie.

I loved the colorful, happy vibe the bunting added to the backyard party!