From Foothills to Fog: Winter Pinterest Challenge: Fabric Banner

It's time for the Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition! I'm a bit obsessed with Pinterest, so you can imagine my delight when Katie and Sherry created the Pinterest Challenge. I've always loved clicking through to see what projects people link up. And now that I've started my blog, I can finally be a part of all the fun!

Photo From Bower Power Blog

My sister is due to have her first baby in a couple weeks and I am so excited to be an Auntie. My mom and I couldn't wait to throw her a baby shower in honor of the little peanut. As soon as we set the date, I started searching through Pinterest for a theme and decorating ideas. My sister and brother-in-law are waiting to be surprised about the sex of the baby, so I knew the shower needed to have a neutral color scheme. I decided to go for a vintage look based on my Pinterest finds and what my sister wanted.

I knew right away I wanted to incorporate a torn fabric banner like I'd seen on Pinterest into the decor. I had pinned this great tutorial by Heather at The Lovely Cupboard, as well as the banner on this dessert table by Suzanne at She Paperie Blog, which was featured on Sweet Designs, by Amy Atlas and Kara's Party Ideas.

The Lovely Cupboard

She Paperie Blog

My sister had planned to do the nursery in grey and white with hints of yellow, so I knew I wanted to incorporate those colors into the banner and I wanted it to have an overall vintage feel and look to it. We went shopping at Ben Franklin Crafts and I searched the bin of scrap fabric squares that were on sale. I was able to find about ten different fabrics that my sister and I thought would complement the rest of the shower decor. We kept a neutral palette, but included hints of both blue and pink as well.

I also dug through my Mom's fabric and found a few other patterns, and one very special fabric to include. My Gram gave my Mom the white fabric with small pink flowers and blue leaves so that she could make a dress for my sister when she was a baby. It was a fun thing to find and gave the banner a personal touch that meant a lot to my sister.

Since most of the fabric was already cut to the same size, I just trimmed the fabric I used of my Mom's so that the strips would be about the same length. It didn't need to be exact because I wanted it to have a whimsical look.

My brilliant Mom, the expert seamstress, gave me a tip to save time. Instead of cutting each piece of fabric and then washing it to give the vinatge look, I tore it. I measured approximately 1 1/2" sections and did a small cut along the edge of the fabric. Then I simply tore it into strips. It was very fast and effective, I was so thankful she thought of it!

Once I had all of my fabric strips torn, it was simple to assemble to banner. I didn't want it to be too uniform, and tried to keep a random order to the various patterns I used. I used a piece of jute string to hang my banner because it is sturdy and had the vintage feel I was going for. I attached the fabric to the jute by simply tying a knot.

Although it was a bit time consuming, the end result was just too cute. I couldn't stop looking at it.

At the shower I had a popcorn bar with various flavors of popcorn as a favor for my sister's guests. I draped the banner along the front of the table and it turned out exactly as I had hoped. Thank goodness for Pinterest and all these great ideas!

"Ready to Pop" - Popcorn Bar

I used some of the banner fabric to make a matching cake topper!

Baby Shower fun with Family

Now my sister has the banner hanging in the nursery above the closet where there was an open storage space. It fits so perfectly, you would have thought I measured the space to make it!

This project was so much fun! I think it really added a lot of character to the shower, and best of all it's something my sister will continue to use and remind her of the baby shower.

I can't wait to see what everyone else created! Thanks to the girls for this fun link up! I think The Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition was a success!