Pennant Chain Instructions

Most screen printing projects on fabric follow the same logic: you make a garment or object first, then add a print as a finish. The pennant chain works the other way. The printed piece is the starting point — you print, then construct. It's the same principle as the Schultüte stencil file, where the print becomes the material you sew from, rather than decoration applied to something already made. That shift changes how the whole project feels: less like embellishing, more like making something from scratch with the hard part already solved.

This one started as a mini-Schultüten offcut idea and turned into something worth making in its own right. Each pennant is screen-printed from the same stencil file, sewn from two pieces of fabric, and strung along bias tape — the seam allowance is already built in, so the construction is more straightforward than it looks.

What you'll need

• Fabric — sturdy materials work best; fabric scraps with enough weight work well here, which makes this a good project for leftover pieces from other makes
• Bias tape
• Cutting machine or precision cutting tools
• A5 or A4 screen, squeegee, spatula, and tape
• Screen printing colours of your choice
• Sewing machine
• Iron

Step-by-step instructions

Prepare your stencils

Print as many stencils as you need. Each pennant requires two identical pattern pieces — one for each side. You can print the same design on both, or mix colours, patterns, or even fabrics between the front and back. The stencil file is designed to be reused, so if you're making a full chain it makes sense to batch the printing: cut and print all your pieces in one session, heat-fix them, and then move to sewing. Working in stages keeps the process clean and means you're not switching between ink and machine mid-project.

Customise your sizes

The finished pennant height is approximately 13 cm. The designs have been optimised for this default size, and some of the more intricate stencil details may not hold up well at significantly smaller scales. If you do adjust the size, maintain a 1 cm seam allowance throughout.

Screen print and heat-fix your designs

One stencil fits an A5 screen; at the recommended size, two stencils fit an A4 screen. Water-based inks need to be heat-fixed after printing to cure properly and become wash-resistant — an iron or heat press works for this. If you'd prefer to skip the heat-fixing step, a cold-fix additive mixed into the ink before printing achieves the same result without heat.

Cut and sew

Cut along the seam allowance line:

Place two pieces right sides together and sew along the sides and bottom, leaving the top open. Trim the corners carefully for clean edges — cut close to the seam, but not into it.

Turn and press

Turn the pennant right side out and press with an iron. The iron does more here than you might expect — it defines the edges and sets the shape, so it's worth taking your time. Before pressing, trim any seam allowance that extends above the top edge of the pennant, otherwise the top won't lie flat when attached to the bias tape.

Attach to bias tape

Measure the length of bias tape you need, accounting for the number of pennants and your preferred spacing between them. Arrange the pennants in order before you start sewing — adjusting the sequence once they're attached to the tape is fiddly. Sew the pennants to the tape along the top edge, then fold the tape over and sew again along its full length to secure them in place.

A few things worth knowing

A cutting machine makes the stencil cutting noticeably faster — worth considering once you're making more than a handful of pennants. Colours and fabrics can be mixed freely across the chain; the triangular format holds the variation well and each pennant reads as part of a set regardless.

How it goes

Printing and sewing in separate stages makes the whole project more manageable than it might look — once all the pieces are printed and fixed, the sewing moves quickly and the results stay consistent from the first pennant to the last. The finished chain looks considerably more involved than it actually is, which is most of the point.

Materials used in the photos

In case it's useful, here are the colours and materials used — ordered in Germany. Links marked with a star (*) are affiliate links; clicking through costs you nothing extra.

• Fabric — an old tablecloth with a sturdy weave
• Bias tape
• A5 screen* or A4 screen*, squeegee, spatula, and tape
• Screen printing colours:
  • Poppy Red Orange*
  • Smaragd Green*
  • Ocean Blue*
  • Dark Blue*