How to Make a DIY Burlap Banner for Any Occasion
Scanning the shelves in Michaels with a 55% coupon in hand, I looked around for something I could make an easy, do-it-yourself banner with.
My eyes landed on a pad of burlap card stock.
There were 24 individual sheets of burlap, backed with cardboard.
Being the worst at cutting straight lines, I figured that individual sheets would save a lot of frustration.
And, I had been looking for an opportunity to work with burlap.
People love burlap – and it’s everywhere. I’ve seen mason jars wrapped in burlap, curtains made from burlap, flowers wrapped in burlap, and entire weddings crafted from burlap.
I even worked with a teacher who covered all of her bulletin boards in burlap.
I had never crafted with this material before – but I do agree that burlap brings a natural warmth and texture – so I was excited to check it out.
So, I got started on my project – which was to teach myself how to make a burlap banner for St. Patrick’s Day from homemade stencils and burlap.
MATERIALS FOR THE BURLAP BANNER:
- Foam brush
- Acrylic paint – I used the two pictured below, mixed together.
- Burlap – I loved using the cardboard-backed sheets from Michaels. Here’s a similar one.
- Scissors – A good pair makes a big difference!
- Stencil of your choice – You can make these. I made a shamrock. You can use letters or hearts – or anything you’d like! (See below for shamrock template)
- Tape – scotch or painter tape (more about this below)
- Ribbon – for stringing the letters together
- Hot Glue Gun
How To Make A Burlap Banner
The instructions for making this banner are quite simple: preparing the burlap material, making the stencil, painting the burlap, and connecting the burlap pieces.
PREPARING THE BURLAP
First, I simply made a triangular cut on the bottom of each sheet.
The burlap was easy to cut into with the cardboard backing.
MAKING THE STENCIL
Then, I traced a shamrock onto card stock – and carefully cut out just the middle. This made the shamrock into a stencil.
I then taped it onto the burlap, making the cardstock as flat as possible.
PAINTING THE BURLAP BANNER
Next, I used the foam brush (probably should have used a 1/2 inch foam brush – but I like to use what I have) to dab on the green paint.
Be careful to keep your brush straight, so it doesn’t slip under the stencil.
As a side note, I tried this using a regular paint brush also. While it worked, it took a lot longer and didn’t give a consistent coat. You can definitely use a regular paint brush, but the foam brush did a nicer job.
For the stripes, I used strips of scotch tape to create the lines. Then, I just dabbed on the green paint onto the burlap.
Immediately after, I removed the tape and moved on to the next sheet.
I also recommend doing a test with the colors/stencils you will be using. I tried a few different shades of green to see what would work best – and a few different shapes to see how they would look.
Pictured below is the edge of my desk, with my stencil and scotch tape strips. Rather than use a ridiculous amount of tape, I used the same four strips over and over, and I hung them here while not in use.
I also went back and forth with painting a shamrock, then stripes – this gave the stencils/tape a little dry time before more use.
Here are two of the burlap pennants, in the process of drying.
Both the card stock stencil and the tape worked really well. The paint looked very neat, and I had a nice, clean outline on every pennant.
CONNECTING THE PENNANTS
After the individual pennants were dry (only took a few minutes), I used burlap ribbon and hot glue to connect them into a banner.
I found the burlap ribbon at Michaels during a 70% off sale prior to the holidays. I bought loads of ribbon then, without a use for any of it.
Ecstatic to find the burlap ribbon during this project, I knew I had the perfect use for it. And, I love that I got it when it was a great price. That’s why I love stocking up on craft supplies 🙂
So, I lined up my stripes and shamrocks in the order I liked and flipped them over for gluing.
Then, I used my handy glue gun to do two drops of glue on either side of every pennant.
Before you glue, make sure you have your banner in the right order. I once glued an entire banner in backward order – and let me tell you, I wasn’t happy when my “Happy 40th” banner said “40th-Y-P-P-A-H.”
Also, remember to leave extra ribbon on both sides for hanging.
I LOVED the way the sign turned out – it was so festive and added much more to our mantel than some of the store-bought St. Patrick’s Day decorations.
I don’t know which shocked me more – the fact that I made the banner for less than $5 or that I made it in less than an hour.
It was a total naptime creation, with time to spare 🙂
I shouldn’t have waited so long to start working with burlap. It was easier than I expected, took a small amount of time and effort, and yielded great results!
I love this banner – Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY Party!
Thanks Helen! I love the way it turned out – especially for my first attempt at a burlap banner.
I didn’t realize it was so easy to make a banner like this!! I love the rustic feel that it brings 🙂 Great job! Found you at Silver Pennies Sunday.
Thanks, Nadine! It was so easy!! 🙂
Adorable! I’m a banner junkie. Off to pin…
Thanks Kim! I am obsessed now – might be making one with Easter bunnies soon 🙂
That looks so festive and perfect for St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Thanks for sharing your idea with us at #OvertheMoon Link Party. I’ve pinned and shared.
Thanks, Sue 🙂 I can’t believe how easy it was – I’m ready to make some bunny ones for Easter 🙂
So easy to make! And it looks so nice.
Thanks, Cristina! It was so easy 🙂
Love! I really want to make one for Easter! With this great tutorial, I might just do that!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Heather! I just did one with Easter bunnies. I’m going to post it tomorrow or the next hopefully with a bunny template 🙂
That is so cute!!
Thanks so much, Danielle! I can’t believe how it easy it was – I finished before naptime was over 🙂
How cute and festive is this! Thanks so much for linking at #iDIYedthat. Hope to see you again next week.
Thanks, Lindsey! It was so simple to make 🙂 Sure thing – we’ll be there 🙂
That turned out so cute! XOXO Stopping by from Tuesday Talk!
Thanks, Stefanie 🙂 I just did an Easter bunny one – I’m going to post a pic with the template soon 🙂
Thanks Jess 🙂 We love sharing there!
Cute banner! I’m a sucker for anything with stripes. I haven’t done much with burlap either but I’ll have to give burlap a second chance! Visiting from Wine’d Down Wednesday party.
Thanks, Victoria! I love stripes too – and they were so easy! I’ve never worked with just the burlap fabric – but this was burlap backed with cardboard. It was super easy to work with and already cut to size (and only cost a few dollars).
This is adorable Eileen! Thanks for sharing at To Grandmas House We Go! xx
Thanks, Kate! I’m working on an Easter post with a similar one now 🙂
I never thought of using paper for banners like this! That’s such a creative idea and would definitely make it faster to create banners.
Thanks, Jess! The cardboard backed burlap worked perfectly. It was quick and easy – and only cost a few dollars. Definitely made for efficiency 🙂
Cutting straight lines is not my strong suit either and I will be on the lookout for these. Your banner came out perfect and I’ll make sure I have my coupon when I buy these. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week.
Thanks so much, Sandra 🙂 Yes, they only cost around $5, but the coupon cut it down even more. And I love a good deal! The burlap sheets cut-to-size definitely made for a quick DIY banner:) Have a great week!
Oh this turned out SO cute and festive!! Love ❤️ it! Thanks for sharing at Family Joy Blog linky party
Thanks so much Crystal! I can’t over how easy it was 🙂 Have a great week!
It turned out so cute! I never would have thought to make a banner out of it!
Thanks so much, Tracy! I’m always looking for cute, cost-effective decorations – and all I could find were beads and hats – so I set out to make my own 🙂 It was super easy!
Your banner idea looks great… and it could be tailored to fit many other purposes also. Good idea.
Yes- thanks so much! I have an Easter one I’ll be posting tomorrow with a template:)
A perfect banner for St Pat’s Day! Thank you so much for the inspiration 🙂
Thanks so much Sam! I have an Easter one coming soon with a template:)
I love your Banner! I like that you mixed the clover and the stripes! Perfect Thanks for sharing@ #HomeMattersParty
Jeannee
Thanks Jeanee! It was fun to mix – made the painting more fun. And the stripes were fun to do:)
Love this banner! Thanks for sharing at To Grandma’s House We Go link party.
Adorable. Great tutorial. Thank you for sharing with us at Vintage Charm.
Thanks Sharon! I love the way it turned out – so much that I just did a bunny one:) have a great week!
I love this burlap banner! I will have to remember this for next year….or any other time I need to make a banner. I had no idea they sold burlap card stock. Thanks so much for sharing at the Friday at the Fire Station link-up! I hope to see you back soon!
Thanks so much, Jen! I just stumbled across the burlap paper- but it certainly made for an easy banner! I just posted an Easter one and I’m going to add some templates soon:)
What a cute idea! We have a burlap garland on our patio, but it would be lovely to replace it with this one for St Patricks Day! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
Thanks so much Katy!
Burlap is sturdy and easy to handle as well. I believe it works great with the painting. Thanks for the tips
Glad you liked them:)
That is a sweet looking banner. I didn’t know what burlap was before reading this either. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much!
Cute! Love burlap everything!
Thanks Gina:)
It looks wonderful, and so easy to make too. Thank you for sharing the tutorial at The Really Crafty Link Party this week. Pinned!
Thanks Teresa:) it was an easy DIY!
Very cute! I totally agree that burlap buntings are a great neutral choice for special occasions. I bought a couple pre-made buntings for about $1-$3 each and use them as accents all the time. Sometimes I even layer printable buntings on top for a more customized look.
Though, I love the look of your painted bunting. The texture on top of texture is perfect! Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Thanks Leslie! Wow your premise ones sound awesome. Have a lovely week!
So festive and burlap banners are timeless! This post will be featured at the new Merry Monday party. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Shirley! Super excited about the feature:)
Burlap banners are so fun. This turned out darling! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks Jann! It was so easy:)
Hi Ash and Eileen, this is so cute! Just wanted you to know I’m featuring it on Sunday Features Link Party this weekend. ?☘?
Wow thanks, Andrea! So excited to see the feature:)
Quick & inexpensive crafts like this are my favorite! Thanks for sharing with our Merry Monday party – I’ll be featuring your banner at our upcoming party. Hope you’ll stop by next week and link up again.
Me too – makes me feel so productive! Thanks so much for the feature!!
I think when patience was handed out you were given mine because I have none! This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing it with #TriumphantTales. Do come back next week.
Aww that’s so sweet, Jaki!
Thanks for sharing this on MM. Pinned and will be including this in a St. Patrick’s Day roundup.
Thanks Erlene!:)
Great project! Thanks for sharing in the To Grandma’s House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and more link party!
Thanks Sheri!
This is just super, super cute! Thanks for sharing your projects with us at the Homestead Blog Hop!