Making Chalkboard Fabric Bunting

 I am a big fan of bunting of all types and I've made quite a lot of it over the last few years.  Recently I've discovered chalkboard fabric and have been really keen to turn some into bunting. Yes, chalkboard fabric is really a thing; it's exciting isn't it?! My life is complete. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

So, what is it? 

It's exactly what it says on the tin; fabric that has been specially treated with a black surface that you can draw on with chalks or liquid chalk pens.  The fabric behaves just like a real chalkboard, so you can wipe off your scribblings with a damp cloth and start again. I turned my chalkboard fabric into bunting and made it just like you would with normal floral cottons.

Can you sew with it?

It's very easy to sew with; just like a vinyl or oil cloth type fabric.  I was lazy and didn't even bother to change my needle (80)and had no problems with it at all.  It cuts easily with fabric scissors and I had no problem cutting out the pendant shapes for my bunting.

Making Chalkboard Bunting

I backed my bunting with black felt as the reverse of the chalkboard fabric isn't very pretty and this also adds a good stability to the bunting so that it holds it's shape in a gust of wind.  I've run out of black felt now, so I'm going to back my bunting with other fabric which will give me a double sided option.  I used regular white cotton tape, folded over for stringing the pendants together.  Once again, very easy to sew through the thick-ish layer of chalkboard fabric, felt and tape. I used 2.5 meters of tape for my 6 pendants which is a nice length to hang in a room.

Of course, the best bit is writing or drawing on the bunting and the possibilities are endless. I found that after a few days when I wiped the chalkboard pendants clean, I had to wipe more firmly to get rid of the chalk pen lines but the fabric still came clean.  You can use regular chalk but your scribblings will stand out a lot more if you use liquid chalk pens.  You can get really creative with these pens; they're the kind that they use in pubs and restaurants to write on the specials boards and A-boards.

You don't really need many pendants to get a good effect.  I've made up some bunting to sell at Curly Girl's school fete and used 6 pendants for each string of bunting. This is enough for 'Party!' or a short name but of course you can add enough pendants for a particular name. This bunting would look great in a bedroom or kitchen and I like the idea that you can change the message on it to reflect the seasons or celebrations.  
Or even just your particular mood for any given day!

Where to buy the chalkboard fabric

I bought my fabric from The Tablecloth Shop (source for above photo) and it worked out at about £4.99 a meter.  If you're making bunting then a meter goes a long way but this fabric is perfect for covering kitchen tables too. You could use it to cover a desk for students/writers to scribble revision notes/jot down plot ideas or your partner could send you love notes whilst eating his or her breakfast.  Lots of possibilities for creativity! As long as you use chalk or liquid chalk pens, you can always wipe it off and start again.

I have more cunning plans for this chalkboard fabric which I'll show you next week when I've had a bit of a play with it.

Have a bunting-tastic week. Galx

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Where I got my supplies

Chalkboard Fabric
Cotton Tape
Liquid Chalk Pens