A Baronial Bunting Experiment

Several years ago, a clever and generous gentle from another Barony sent out templates for Baronial bunting to all the mainland Lochac groups. I had planned to start a group project to create some, and did some tests with different types of paint and fabric mediums - and then the pandemic struck and closures happened.

In the mean time, other projects took precedence but I didn't forget the bunting. I wanted to do a test run, and the recent Crown tournament seemed like a good opportunity. I adjusted the template slightly by adding seam allowance, as I planned to use coloured backing panels on each tab.

I traced the heraldic design with pencil onto pre-washed and ironed cotton broadcloth.

I used acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium to colour the designs. It took a couple of coats and the paint was still a little patchy. (I suspect this would not happen with better quality paints.) I was also rushing to get the project done on  time. After drying, the paint was set with a hot iron.

I sewed each tab to the backing piece by using the 'bagging out' method (i.e. putting right side to right side, machine sewing along the seam line, trimming and clipping the edges and then turning right side out. Then I gave each one a good press.

I sewed a double bias tape along the top of the tabs after spacing them evenly. I added little loops of bias so that the bunting could be used for a variety of purposes/on different structures. I made sure the backing colours alternated.

I was fairly happy with how the bunting worked out, given the time crunch. The bias tape was horribly slippery and hard to sew, so the sewing lines are awful. But it looked nice on the field and was a lot of impact for relatively little work. The bunting got wet and muddy at the event, and has since been washed. It is sitting in the ironing basket waiting for an iron, and then I will be able to assess whether the paint has run at all.

Making Heraldic Bunting

This week I have been testing out paints for a group project to make heraldic bunting for events.

I've been testing how different paint types cover and how rich the pigments are.

Even though I have been in a big rush to get the samples done in time for the next SCA meeting, I have really enjoyed the painting. I am thinking that I might try making a painted banner - when I have a bit more time.

Heraldic Bunting

The head of my SCA household had an idea recently - buy some pre-packaged canvas flags and decorate them with the heraldry of the household to create a decorative bunting. I thought it was a brilliant plan; quick, easy enough for all experience levels, cost effective, and visually impressive.

I had some cheap poster paints in my heraldic colours and just got some fixative to add to make the paint into fabric paint. The coverage was not great, and the result was pretty streaky. I put this down to the cheap acrylic poster paint, and next time I would invest a bit more on pigment-rich, higher quality paint.

The flags are canvas with holes punched into them. I decided to buttonhole edge mine because it can get quite windy here, and I would hate for them to fray and fall apart.

This is a great project for younger people to get involved in; I printed my device off from the Roll of Arms and put the print up against a window to use it as a "light box''. After that, it was just a matter of painting in the lines and putting down colour. I followed the directions on the fixative bottle; in this instance the flag had to dry for 24 hours before being ironed with an indirect heat to set.