We are almost to the full days of summer and the 4th of July! I love this time of year and really enjoy getting our my patriotic decor. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite summer craft projects: how to make a patriotic ribbon flag that is simply adorable!

We Americans truly love to celebrate Independence Day and our flag. I know that patriotism can be found all around the world but there is something so exciting and unifying about seeing all the patriotic decor going up around us. All through the summer I see our flag and its colors displayed proudly and in many fun ways. I really loved how this patriotic ribbon flag turned out and I wanted to share it with you so you can make your own in time for the 4th! All you need is a dowel rod, some hot glue, and any fabric and ribbons that you love. No sewing needed (you guys know I don’t sew!), just some layering that is lots of fun to do!

How to Make a Patriotic Ribbon Flag

This is a such a great craft to make for yourself and it’s also a great one to do if you sell your handmade items. You could easily make these in batches which would make them quick pieces to produce. You could sit in front of the tv and tear all your fabric and then just go to town gluing your layers onto your dowels. Once you have your base of fabric you could add different ribbons, lace, and other embellishments so that they are all unique and could appeal to different people at your craft shows. Patriotic decor is always a hot seller, especially in the summer time. Like I said, we all love to display our stars and stripes!

Design Variations

You know that I love my decor to be vintage or, at least, to have a more rustic/vintagey feel. So, for my flag I chose fabrics and ribbons that have the rustic shades of red, white, and blue. I also added some craft pearls and buttons to add to the vintage feel. You can make your flag similar to mine if you like it, or you can take it in a completely different direction. If you prefer your patriotic decorations to have bright and vibrant colors you can definitely use those instead.

You can also use as many (or as few) embellishments as you want. I pulled out a whole bunch of stuff that I thought I might want to use for my flag and just stopped adding when I thought it was in danger or looking like “too much”. You could add so many different things to the area with your red and white stripes. And, you could also add little bits and bobs to the ends of some of your fabric or ribbon strips. I just wanted to give you a starting point and show you how to assemble the flag. The rest is up to you!

Supply List

• Fabric ( I used blue with white stars and red and white with stars)
• Lace (optional)
• Red Hug Snug seam binding
• Variety of ribbon in patriotic colors
• Craft pearls
• Pompom ribbon
• Blue buttons (optional)
• Dowel rod (I got a regular dowel at Hobby Lobby and cut it in half)
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun

Step by Step Instructions

• Cut your blue fabric at 10.5″ x 17.5″. Then cut that piece of fabric in half. Next, make slits with your scissors every 1/2 inch and then tear the fabric into strips.
• For the red and white fabric, cut a piece that is 21″ by 17″, cut a slit every half inch along the shorter side of the fabric and then tear it into strips.

• Now use the hot glue gun to attach one end of your red strips to the entire length of the dowel rod. You want the dowel to be the front of your flag so the glue is hidden in the back. To do this, make sure you are putting the glue on the good side of your fabric, that way when you glue it on the dowel, the dowel will be the front and the good side of the fabric will face forward.
• Next, cut your red Hug Snug into strips and then use the hot glue to attach them evenly in between some of your fabric strips.
• Now cut strips of your red and/or white ribbons, pompom ribbon, and the craft pearls and add those in evenly across the dowel.

• Next, go back in and add another whole row of fabric strips behind your ribbon layer.
• Then cut your lace and/or ribbon into strips and add it like you did the other pieces. Use the colors you think you need, maybe more white, maybe more white to make it look like flag stripes.
• Now add your blue strips to the corner of your dowel to make the blue and star portion of your flag. Then add a second layer.
• Next, cut a strip of ribbon a little longer than the length of your dowel rod and use the hot glue to attach it, wrapping it around the ends of the dowel to cover them. This will cover all of the spots where you glued your layers and give it a finished look.

• Now hot glue your blue buttons to your finishing ribbon, above your blue strips of fabric. I also added some smaller white buttons inside the blue buttons since mine were flower shaped.
• Finally, use some of your fabric or ribbon to make a hanger for your flag.

I really love how this flag turned out, friends! I had so many ideas of different things that I could add that I can’t wait to make another one. Don’t mind me if I have several hanging in and out of the house! I hope you give this project a try and love it as much as I do. Happy crafting, friends!

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