Mini Make - Bike Bunting

Tomorrow sees the annual London Tweed Run - a fab retro bike riding fest through the streets of our fair capital city on machines old and new powered by crazy individuals sporting all things Tweed!  I shall be there, but sadly not riding as it's such a popular event entry is made by drawing applications out of a hat; but I will be there along the route to cheering and photographing - I am sure my shutter finger will have RSI at the end!

For anyone interested you can find out more about the Tweed Run on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TweedRun.  The route for tomorrow (Saturday 13th April) is:

12 noon     Start at Marylebone High Street
12.30         Regent Street/ Savile Row
1.00           Piccadilly Circus
1.30           Houses of Parliament
2.00           Finish at Trafalgar Square

Even though I can't take part, I did  want to do something to tart up  my bike and while I was wasting some time browsing Pinterest; sorry, what I really meant was;  I was researching for ideas on Pinterest when I came across this lady who crochet’s flowers and squares to make into decorations for bicycle baskets, she also crochets saddle covers and handle bar ends.  I was love struck!  The down side is that I am totally rubbish at crochet (and knitting for that matter) and any ideas that I may have had about crocheting my own quickly evaporated.  But I still really wanted to make something for my bike!  Then it hit me, how about some bunting from fabric and fortunately I have made loads of bunting in the past so it seemed to be the perfect solution.

Mini Bike Basket Bunting

1.       Draw a pattern for the shape on paper making sure you have left enough allowance for seams.

2.       Measure out enough tape to reach round your bike basket rim, add in 30 cms to either end for tying the bunting on.

3.       Lay out paper patterns on to your chosen fabric and cut out pennants.  *I like to have double sided pennants, but you could choose to only have a single layer of fabric pennant.

4.       For double side pennants: iron pennants flat, place rightside to rightside, pin and stitch round outside edges leaving top open.  Turn rightsides out and press flat.  Finish raw edges using zigzag stitch or overlocker.

5.       Place pennants along the length of your tape leaving enough spare at either end (I left 30cms at each end) to tie bunting to basket.  *If your tape has a front and back, then make sure you pin so the tape covers the finished top edge of the pennants.  Stitch in place

6.       Add any top stitching/embellishment to the bunting and tape.

7.       Press the whole flat and now attach to the top edge of your bike basket – Taa Dahh!

(To make sure the bunting doesn’t slip, I added a small stitch through the tape and basket rim in 3 places to hold it all in place.)

I think Dorothy (my bike) looks fabulous, wish she was going on the Tweed Run, maybe next year!