DIY Burlap Banner

It is almost time to break out the mistletoe and decorate for Christmas so in preparation I am making burlap banners to hang on the walls. I also make them to sell on my Etsy and Facebook page. If you feel like trying your hand at making your own, here are the instructions.

You will need:
-burlap
-glue
-water
-a bowl
-a paint brush
-a drying rack (optional but will help a lot)
-scissors
-a sheet of paper
-stencil (optional but very useful, especially if you don't have the nicest penmanship)
-paint or a permanent marker
-twine
-glue gun and glue sticks

First, you need to cut the burlap into strips. I already created a template for my pendants so I used my sheet of paper for a guide to cut out the height of my strips. Be sure to cut in between the weave. This is to help prevent it from unraveling. 

You can either cut right in between the weaves or pull up a string of twine and pull it all the way out of the weave to use as a guide to cut. 

Next, mix water and glue into a bowl. Paint the water/glue mixture onto the strips of burlap. This helps prevent the banner from fraying and falling apart and will help this banner last more than one holiday ;)

 After I hang them up, I usually let mine dry overnight. 

After they are dry, I cut out my pendants. Below you can see the templates I cut out. I use these to help cut out my pendants. Be sure to cut between the weave again to prevent it from fraying. You will be cutting across the grain for the detail on the bottom of the pendants, this is why it is important to paint them with the water/glue mixture. Next, I use my stencil and write out my letters. 

The last step is to glue each pendant on twine. 

 All done and ready for the holidays!