Fabric Pennant Banners

I've been deathly afraid of sewing machines for DECADES.  (I think it has something to do with a few sewing projects going horribly wrong as a child.)  Anyway, about 2 years ago, stitching on paper became all the rage, so I had a sit down tutorial with my mom and started stitching on my scrapbooks and cards.  It went well.  No fingers were lost, no hair was torn out, projects got compliments... all in all success in my book.  So my mom loaned me (pretty much permanently) her sewing machine.

This bad boy is over 30 years old now.  It has a lovely old, machinery and oil smell, and it makes a delightful clackity clack when it stitches.  It even has a sweet little hum after it's been plugged in.

The only bad thing...

I've been terrified to use it again!

After paper crafting with it for about a year, I tucked it in the corner with great hopes of doing more.  Ruby came along, and it continued to sit.  We moved, and it sat.  Life  happened, and it just patiently, quietly, waited for me in the corner of my craft room.

Then, inspiration hit.  I found the most gorgeous fabric and I had to do something with it!  But it was fabric.  And I'd only ever sewn on paper.  YIKES!  However, the love of this fabric, and the flooding of ideas took over, and I just had to pull out my old, lovely, Brother sewing machine.

It took a few tries to get it threaded, and a few more to get a bobbin wound and reloaded (there's no automatic anything on this puppy).  But I made my first pennant triangle for the banner.  Then I made another, and another, and another.  I was on a roll!

And surprisingly, I was smitten too.  All those fears, and past comments that I "hated sewing" or that I was crafty with everything but fabric just seemed to melt away.  Believe it or not, I was having FUN!

So, many hours later, I have two lovely fabric pennant banners finished, and a stack of fabric ready to make an additional 10 or so.  Perhaps I'll even share a tutorial - so long as you accomplished sewers and quilters don't point out all the mistakes I'm making.  Haha!  I'm just sewing by the seat of my pants here, so I'm sure that I'm breaking a few rules.

Here are pictures of my banners.  They are double sided - 3 different fabrics on each side.  12 pennant triangles total and about 2 1/2 yards long.  I made one in blues/golds, and one in purple/pink floral and golds. They need to be steamed, but I'm so happy with how they turned out!

Close up of the "boyish" fabric:

Close up of the "girly" fabrics: