Our chicken yard is newly decorated with circus-like oil cloth buntings. They make me smile while detering aerial predators like hawks. Birds who might take chickens don't think they have enough space to land and fly away again with the buntings in the way.

I made the buntings with five coordinating oil cloth patterns from local fabric store Sew to Speak. Oil cloth is vinyl bonded on a cotton mesh base, making it a sturdy, outdoor-friendly fabric.

I cut each selection into strips 10-inches wide. Then, I placed removable tape on my cutting board every eight inches, staggering the bottom row by four inches, as markers for cutting. I used a rotary cutter and a straight edge to cut the strips two layers at a time into isosceles triangles.

Next, I made four stacks of triangles with a random pattern assortment. My brain naturally tends toward order, so I had to watch that I was selecting randomly.

sewing oil cloth bunting The Sew to Speak employee suggested twill tape as a binding/stringing material but they only had cotton and I wanted something that would hold up to constant outdoor use. I looked for polyester twill tape locally but found none in large lengths, so I purchased a roll of twill ribbon on Amazon.

I assembled the buntings by inserting oil cloth triangles as I sewed the folded twill tape together, leaving approximately 18 inches at each end with no oil cloth for ties.

In the end, the chicken-yard circus buntings cost me about $40 in materials and 4 hours of time. I could have used boat rope (Alex's suggestion) to achieve the same predator-deterring effect, but I prefer the color and whimsy of this little project. What do you think?

I realized when seaming Lil's Halloween costume (she is Super Kitten, a hero of her own creation) that the way I approach sewing is much like I cook. Here's how: 1) I eschew patterns and recipes. Patterns are expensive, I don't like to be told what to do, and I rarely follow the rules precisely.

2) I rely on prior experience and existing garments to guide my designs. I spend a lot of time staring and thinking about what pieces need to go inside out and curve in 3d. Likewise, my mind is constantly trying to recreate restaurant dishes.

3) I measure as I go, just like I taste as I cook. This is a tedious habit but it ensures that the fit or saltiness is perfect.

4) I make do with what I have. So the tail has light pink thread instead of a matching white - I grabbed the closest match in my stash instead of running out for new thread. I am always more likely to substitute an ingredient in a dish than go to the store for a single item.

5) I make mistakes. The shimmery sheer fabric Lil chose was a huge pain to work with but now I know that for the future. In cooking, I don't always achieve what I had in mind, but again every failure teaches me something new.

Do you sew like you cook? Or am I the only one sewing costumes at all anymore?

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