Authentique Pleasant Thanksgiving Banner Tutorial and Bonus Card Folio

Hello, Friends!  I know the whole world is excited about Halloween right now.  And don’t get me wrong, I like Halloween, too.  But today I’m excited because my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is just around the corner.  To help us get ready to celebrate, I’ve prepared a simple Thanksgiving Banner Tutorial using the gorgeous Authentique Pleasant Collection.

Oh, how I love Thanksgiving!  It goes way back to my childhood when all the aunts, uncles, cousins and even great grandparents would gather at my grandmother’s house to celebrate together.  Sometimes there were as many as 3 dozen of us tucked around the dining room table, in the kitchen, in the parlor on TV trays…and in every nook and cranny of the house!  And the food!  Ooh la la!  Those ladies could cook!  This rustic banner takes me right back to those happy, happy times. I thought you might want to make a banner for your Thanksgiving celebration, so I have a little tutorial to share with you today.

Thanksgiving Banner Tutorial: Creating the Pennants

First, cut (3) 4 1/4″ x 6 1/4″ panels from Pleasant Four. Two panels will be the same, and one will have the wood grain going the opposite direction.  No worries!  By the time we’re done, no one will know!  From the paper you have left over, cut (4) 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ panels.

Flip each panel face down.  Find the center point of the panel (2 1/8″) and measure up 1 1/2″ from that point.  You can see where I made a little pencil mark at that spot.  For the 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ panels, measure up 3/4″ from the center point which is 1 1/8″. Make a mark just as you did on the larger panels.

Use a ruler to draw a line from each corner to the center of the mark you made.  Then cut along the line to create pennants for your banner.

Thanksgiving Banner Tutorial: Adding Texture with Fabric

Stitch each pennant onto a slightly larger piece of burlap or linen fabric.  I used a decorative stitch and fancy thread on mine, but regular stitching and thread works great.  And, if you don’t want to sew, you can just use Scor-Tape to secure the pennants to the fabric, or eliminate the fabric altogether.  Then fringe the edges to give it a rustic look.  You don’t do this step with the small pennants.

Starting with a small pennant, position along the top edge of a 4 yard piece of ribbon.  I use binder clips to hold the pennants in place.  Then add a large pennant, then a small one and so on until you have the pennants evenly spaced out.  Stitch the fabric at the top of each pennant to the top edge of the ribbon.  Just start at one end and sew all the way to the other.

Flip each pennant over, and add a small piece of Scor-tape to the bottom edge of the ribbon and adhere.  This keeps the banners positioned properly.  Now you are ready to decorate!  And that’s the fun part!

Thanksgiving Banner Tutorial: Making it Pretty!

Tie a big loopy bow at each end of the banner.  Then add burlap string and flowers to dress it up.

Little wooden buttons glued in the center of each smaller bow add to the rustic, homespun feel of the banner.

Banners make every party special, and now that you know how, you can make one for every holiday of the year.

Pleasant Fall Color Card Folio

This lovely little card would make a great hostess gift at your Thanksgiving gathering.  Or pair it up with the banner for a pretty mantel display.

The top pocket holds a little tea bag wallet with a cute belly band.  I’ve used the 6″ x 6″ bundle to make the inserts for this card.

There’s room to write a little note here.

This folio measures 4 1/2″ x 6″ and has a magnetic tab top.

Cheerio,

kathy

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