Torn Fabric Birthday Banner

My littlest boy just had a big birthday a few weeks ago.  He turned 1 {and I still can’t believe it}!  We celebrated with a bright and colorful monster themed birthday party.  I’m so excited to share all the little details with you all over the coming month and decided to start today with one of my favorite DIY’s from the day, his birthday banner.

Making the banner was so super easy and fun.  Tearing the fabric might have been my favorite part!  To make a torn fabric banner you’ll need:

several fat quarters of colorful fabric

canvas pennant flags

Heat & Bond

{affiliate link} Cricut Explore™

mini clothespins

jute twine

iron/ironing board

To begin, I cut the letters from this colorful hexagon print from The Ribbon Retreat.

If you’ve never cut fabric on a cutting machine before, it’s so easy.  Simply follow package instructions for adhering Heavy Duty Heat & Bond to your piece of fabric.  Since the Explore has the easy to use Smart Set Dial, all you have to do is turn it to fabric and it knows exactly how it should be cut.

I used a free font that I downloaded called Miss Smarty Pants for the letters.  I ended up using it for a lot of the party decor actually!

Once the letters were cut, I removed the paper backing of the Heat & Bond and ironed them to three separate canvas pennant flags and then began making the banner itself.

First, I had some fabric to tear {and this part was so EASY and kinda fun}.  To tear fabric, you simply cut small slits with your fabric scissors at the bottom of your piece of fabric.  Once the slits are all cut, begin to tear the fabric {and it will tear in a straight line, trust me}.

I soon had a pile of torn fabric to work with {and ended up using this torn fabric for a few other birthday related projects as well.}

To assemble my banner, I used mini clothespins to attach the canvas pennants to a piece of jute twine, then filled in between the pennants and on either side with the torn fabric.  I simply tied a double knot for each piece.

I like the shabby chic-ness of the torn fabric.

It was perfect to hang on our mantel for the party!  Stay tuned for more first birthday party decor ideas!