How to Make Book Cover Bunting

A few months ago when I published pictures of our book corner I had a number of readers ask how I made the book cover bunting hanging in the space. So here it is…

I scanned the covers of our favourite picture books and used an iron on t-shirt transfer paper compatible with my printer.

I set the images up two to a page in Photoshop and printed them on to the transfer paper. Choosing the ‘t-shirt transfer’ print option will reverse the image for you so that once it is ironed on it faces the correct way. I re-purposed some thick cotton curtain fabric (not rubber backed) to print the images onto. I chose the thick fabric and didn’t print them too large as I did not want the fabric to curl once it was hung. Alternatively, I am sure you could iron on some stiffener onto the reverse side to stop it curling.

Be sure to follow the instructions for ironing the transfer paper carefully to ensure that you have a clean transfer. Basically, lots of pressing down with a very hot iron is required!

I trimmed the fabric to size using pinking shears. Then it was simply a matter of folding over (in half) and ironing a length of bias binding. Tuck and pin the top edge of the book cover pieces into the fold of the bias binding, spacing them evenly, and run a zig zag stitch the whole way along. If you don’t have a sewing machine, then I am sure that this process for creating your length of bunting would work just as well.

I love that you can choose whichever books your child loves for this project. I can imagine hanging beautiful classics like Guess How Much I Love You (S. McBratney) in a baby’s nursery would be gorgeous.

What books would you choose for a book cover bunting for your child?

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

Steph L says
August 28, 2011 at 5:18 PM

what a fantastic idea!
Lusi says
August 28, 2011 at 5:47 PM

I just used this method to make a name blanket with heaps of different fonts for our 5th blessing arriving any day. It is fun and easy! The bunting looks great! Lusi :)
- Christie Burnett says
  August 28, 2011 at 7:57 PM
  
  What a wonderful idea, Lusi. Best wishes for the new arrival :)
Caz says
August 28, 2011 at 6:45 PM

I love these, they look great! So perfect for a reading corner.
Naamah says
August 28, 2011 at 7:50 PM

This is fantastic. I'm currently reading Dr Seuss with my class and this would be a great way to record what we've read so far. Where did you get the transfer paper from? (I'm in Perth so Australian store names would be helpful - I've no idea where I would even start to look)
- Christie Burnett says
  August 28, 2011 at 7:56 PM
  
  I got mine from Officeworks, Naamah :)
Margaret Elvis says
August 28, 2011 at 8:03 PM

Young people today are so resourceful and I often regret there was nothing of this kind to be had back in the 1950s, only pencils and paper.
Karen says
August 28, 2011 at 8:54 PM

I LOVE this idea Christie! I am definately going to give this a go during the term break! So many projects, so little time! :)
Amanda - Busy Brissy Mum says
August 29, 2011 at 5:14 AM

Wow, I thought they were just on paper. Storybook bunting is such a lovely idea.
kylie swan says
August 29, 2011 at 6:27 AM

I love this, will be atempting to do this in the next few weeks. Thanks for sharing your ideas, so often people like to keep the information to themselves. Thanks again.
vanessa @ silly eagle books says
August 29, 2011 at 8:51 AM

Wow. This is so pretty. And I love that there are so many possibilities. I'd probably choose some pretty fairy tale covers for my girls.
Michelle says
August 29, 2011 at 1:53 PM

Love this! Hope to have time for it one day.
Kirsty says
August 29, 2011 at 2:26 PM

Ohhh that book "Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go!" would be a good one!
Leah says
August 30, 2011 at 2:36 PM

I really LOVE this idea! I have a Reading Corner I made for my daughter in her playroom. The walls are decorated with book covers. This craft would be perfect for that space. Thanks for the inspiration!
Estela says
September 3, 2011 at 12:53 AM

I love this idea, I'm working on a reading nook for my kids and this will move the eyes up. thanks for posting!
Trin says
September 9, 2011 at 7:06 PM

You could even do it without the rather expensive t-shirt paper, if you use freezer paper and print directly on the fabric (loads of tutorial online) - I believe you cannot wash it very well than, but that would not be that important with a bunting, right?
Linda says
October 26, 2011 at 2:27 AM

Does this infringe on any copyright laws?
Lori says
October 26, 2011 at 2:52 AM

This is awesome!
Kathy says
October 26, 2011 at 6:43 AM

I would love to try this....but fire codes in our town prohibit things hanging like this!! Dislike!! :(
Kirsty@BowerbirdBlue says
October 26, 2011 at 6:52 PM

Totally ace, now I just need to master my colour printer.
Mikaela says
October 26, 2011 at 8:32 PM

This is an awesome idea. So simple but the possibilities are limitless. Thankyou for sharing.

Trackbacks

Golden Books Gown | Marla's Art Page Blog says:

August 30, 2011 at 10:48 PM

[...] quite what you are looking for, how about a bunting made from the pages. This was found at childhood 101 (and thanks to Crafty Crow) #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; [...]
Throw a Book-Themed Baby Shower on a budget says:

June 11, 2013 at 4:30 AM

[...] Source: childhood101: Create Baby-book bunting [...]

How to Make Book Cover Bunting

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