Pretty soon it’s going to be my husband’s birthday! So I’m working on making some birthday party decor that I can pull out for every celebration that feels special. Today, let’s make a DIY birthday banner. This takes 3-4 hours to make. It can be constructed with fabric scraps. And it turns really cute with the individual letters spelling out happy birthday. The perfect heirloom piece!

diy birthday banner

SUPPLIES

step 1- fabric prep

Start by prepping the fabric. Pull out the fabric and select the pieces you’d like. I choose to do each letter a different fabric that ends in rainbow color. You can choose whatever you’d like- maybe it matches your home or is your favorite colors. I’ve done three patterns before and repeated them.

When choosing fabrics, I like to mix florals, stripes, and small-scale prints in coordinating colors. Having a few solids mixed in with the patterns helps each letter stand out and keeps the banner from looking too busy. It’s all about choosing coordinating fabrics in fun patterns that’ll look festive.

For each letter you’ll be using, you’ll need 5″x7″ of fabric for the front and back. A few pieces of my scraps were too small, so I stitched two pieces together. If you have enough, have the front and back match. But the back can be a plain fabric since it barely shows. Once the fabric pieces are cut into 5″x7″ rectangles, iron them. A pressed project always looks more professional!

Next, grab some batting. Mine was a little thin (I used extra loft quilt batting) so I used two layers to get a thick, stuffed look. Cut 5″x7″ rectangles out of the batting for each letter. Place between the two pieces of fabric for each letter.

step 2- make the template

Next, we’re going to make templates for the letters. There’s two ways to do this. I have a Cricut, so I’m doing the first option. First I opened Design Space (the software for Cricut) and typed out each letter of “Happy Birthday.” You just need one of each letter, so I did h, a, p, y, b, I, r, t, and d. Each letter is 6.5″ in the block font “Trade Gothic Display.”

Then I had the Cricut cut out the letters in white card stock.

Remove the excess paper and you have your template.

The second way to make a template is with a printer. Just print out block letters on white cardstock. Then cut them out with scissors. It’s a little more tedious, but still pretty doable.

step 3- create the letters

And now, place the letter templates on top of the fabric.

Trace the template with washable fabric markers.

Repeat for each letter.

Take the fabric and batting to the sewing machine.

One by one, stitch on top of the line to create the letter.

Tip- it’s a good idea to pin the top layer of fabric to the batting and bottom layer of fabric. The bottom layer tends to move so the pins keep them in place.

When you’re done, use pinking shears to cut around each letter.

If it’s a letter like ‘A’ or ‘R’ with a space in the top that needs to be cut out, I use sharp scissors to cut a hole in the section. Then I can use the pinking shears to finish up.

Note, the hardest part for me is using the pinking shears. They really hurt my hands to cut through three layers. So I like to sew a letter then cut it. That way my hands get a bit of a break.

Finish the letters by spraying them with water to remove any of the blue marker. It’ll go away when it’s spritzed with water.

step 4- string everything together

Finally, finish up by using double fold bias tape as the string to create the diy happy birthday banner.

I like to find the center of the bias tape and put my center letter between the folds of the bias tape. Then I use sewing clips to hold the bias tape to each letter. I choose to put “happy” on one piece of bias tape and “birthday” on a second so they can hang in two rows. If you want them on one strand, that’ll look cute too.

Take the bias tape with the clipped on letters and sew through the bias tape and the letters. This secures everything together. And finishes off this project.

after

And here’s the banner all finished up!! Aren’t the rainbow letters so cute?!

Personally, I think the stuffed letters are really fun! They’re soft while still being graphic and make the best statement.

I also did this same project for the 4th of July. For that, I had the sign read “stars & stripes.” I used red, white, and blue fabric in florals and stripes- it turned out so cute!

Another time, I made a “welcome” banner. With that one, I wanted it to match my kitchen so I went for pinks and yellows. I used a few fabrics and love how the patterns work together. The floral fabric is actually from a thrifted pillowcase!

price breakdown

For this project I spent $14 for batting and bias tape. I used scraps I had on hand, so I didn’t spend any money on fabric. To buy a fabric banner, pre-made ones cost around $50 so I’m happy with what I spent.

Below are links to pre-made banners if you’d rather buy one instead of making your own.

time spent

I made the DIY happy birthday banner over two days and spent 3-4 hours making it. This would be a great weekend project. The pinking shear step would be perfect to do while watching a show.

This DIY birthday banner (or garland) turned out even cuter than I imagined! I love that it’s made from fabric scraps, can be customized with any colors or patterns, and is sturdy enough to use year after year.

Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, welcoming guests, or decorating for a holiday, this is such a fun project that becomes a special keepsake over time. If you make one, I’d love to know what colors and words you choose for your own banner!

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