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I love decorating our old farmhouse for holiday celebrations and these DIY 4th of July rustic flags are the perfect patriotic craft. Show your patriotism this July 4th Independence Day and proudly display your own DIY handmade American Flags.
This tutorial is an easy summer craft that will fit right into your rustic or farmhouse decor.
It’s quick too so you can make several. Then decorate your front porch, or use as a centerpiece or wherever you see fit. Your home will be festive for both Memorial Day and July 4th summer holidays.
How To Make Your Own 4th of July Rustic Flags
If you do any DIY crafting at home already, then you probably already have all the the materials on hand to make these primitive American flags. They can be made totally with remnants or scraps of fabric left from previous projects.
This tutorial is for making one flag. Of course, since they are so quick and simple to make I made several to have a centerpiece bouquet on the table when we celebrated the holiday with a backyard barbecue.
I used 100% cotton or broad cloth for making these flags. This fabric “rips or tears” easily, requiring no scissors. The torn fabric will give the your rustic flags a more vintage or aged look.
Getting Your Materials Together
- Unbleached Muslin Fabric. One piece torn into a 5×7 inch size. Muslin is an old fashioned cotton fabric that stains well for handmade crafts and projects. I keep some on hand all the time. PLUS you’ll need 2 tiny strips of muslin to use as a tie to attach flag to the natural stick.
- Blue Cotton Fabric (with or without stars). Each flag needs a 2×3 inch size piece. I used a cotton broadcloth fabric for this.
- Red Cotton Fabric ripped to ½ inch wide x 6½ inches long – 5 of them. A cotton materials is perfect for this.
- Cream or White DMC Embroidery Thread
- Embroidery needle with a large eye
- Small stick from nature 2 feet long
Coffee Staining Ingredients:
- 6 tsp instant coffee (any brand)
- 2 cup warm water in a bowl
- dish soap of choice
Instructions for Making Hand Sewn Flag
Coffee Staining Fabric:
It is a good idea to coffee stain all fabrics before they are hand-stitched together. The reason being that darker colors do fade. It would not be a good thing to work so hard on creating your primitive American flag only to have the red fade onto the muslin and it turn pink. (speaking from experience)
In a glass bowl, gently pour 2 cups of hot tap warm water. And then add in the 6 tsp of instant coffee. Stir until all coffee is dissolved.
TIP ONE: Begin with the muslin fabric.
Reason being, as I mentioned already, the darker colors do fade and they will change the color of the coffee stain.
Under a faucet, wash fabrics colors separately with a drop of dish soap and warm water to remove fabric guard sprayed on when made at the factory. Wring out water and place fabric in warm coffee stain. Leave sitting for about 15 minutes.
Remove from coffee mixture, twist and wring solution out (don’t rinse), lay fabric out flat and allow it to dry over night.
Repeat this for red and blue fabrics. Allow all to dry overnight.
TIP TWO: If you are anxious, you can dry in the oven on 125° or the lowest setting. Spread fabrics out flat on a metal cookie sheet and bake until dry. This method will increase the grunged look too. Check often – time is normally within 15-20 minutes.
Related Projects: Try these primitive pumpkin bowl fillers and fall pumpkins on a stick crafts.
Hand Sewing Red Stripes On DIY American Flag
Fabrics will be wrinkled and frayed – I love this! To me, it makes these DIY patriotic flags even more rustic for decorating! Here’s what you do……
Thread 3 strands of DMC embroidery thread into the eye of your embroidery needle and tie a knot in one end.
Lay muslin fabric out flat and place 1 torn-strip of coffee stained red fabric near the top, leaving a bit of “white” showing. With needle and thread, hand-stitch make a single stitch right down the center.
Repeat this, dividing the 5 ” stripes of red” and leaving a “white stripe” between them. I just “eyeball” them, but if you are picky, you can measure and place them before stitching.
Once all 5 are attached, trim red fabric to even lengths with the muslin.
RELATED CRAFT: If you love crafting, you’ll love this list of 39 Homemade Craft Ideas. And best of all, they are perfect for Christmas Crafts that can be done in LESS THAN 15 minutes!
Attaching Stars To Rustic Flags
Lay 2×3 inch blue fabric on top left corner, covering the whole corner. With needle and thread, hand-stitch a single straight stitch around all 4 sides about 1/8 inch from the edge.
Securing Ties and Attaching Flag To Stick
Use two tiny strips of muslin fabric and with a single stitch or two, attach strip to the backside of flag on the end with stars.
Tie flag securely to stick. I used just a simple knot.
Decorating Ideas for Using Your Primitive American Flags
This patriotic craft is so simple, I made 12 so I could decorate in red, white and blue.
Let your imagination run wild and “tap into your creative side” decorating for the summer holidays.
This is such a simple craft for both teens and adults to do. These would be perfect for both Memorial Day and 4th of July celebrations.
- Make several and use as a centerpiece in an old crock or rusty bucket
- Attach to shorter sticks and insert them into a grapevine wreath and make a patriotic wreath to hang on the front door
- Use them and attach to a string and make a banner to drape across the fireplace or a doorway
The ideas are endless! And these are the perfect patriotic project that can be saved and reused for years. Unless you are like me and I leave them out year around.
How do you see yourself decorating with your DIY 4th of July Rustic Flags?
More Holiday Crafts
DIY Rustic 4th of July Flags
Decorate your home with these festive 4th of July rustic flags.
Materials
- 6x9 inch - Muslin Fabric
- 2x3 inch - Blue Cotton Fabric
- 5x9 inch - Red Cotton Fabric
- Cream or White DMC Embroidery Thread
- 6 tsp Instant Coffee
- 2 cups warm water
Tools
- Embroidery Needle
Instructions
- Coffee Staining - In a glass bowl, gently pour in 2 cups warm tap water. Then add 6 tsp of instant coffee. Stir until all coffee is dissolved.
- Beginning with cream muslin fabric, under a faucet, wash fabrics with a drop of dish soap. Wring out water and place fabric in warm coffee stain. Leave sitting for about 15 minutes.
- Allow to dry overnight or dry in a low temp oven.
- Hand-stitching Red Stripes - Thread 3 strands of DMC embroidery thread into the eye of your embroidery needle and tie a knot in one end.
- Lay muslin fabric out flat and place 1 torn-strip of coffee stained red fabric near the top, leaving a bit of “white” showing. With needle and thread, hand-stitch make a single stitch right down the center.
- Repeat other 4 red strips of fabric dividing them to leave a white stripe between each one.
- Attaching Blue & White Stars - Lay 2×3 inch blue fabric on top left corner, covering the whole corner. With needle and thread, hand-stitch a single straight stitch around all 4 sides about 1/8 inch from the edge.
- Securing Ties - Use two tiny strips of muslin fabric and with a single stitch or two, attach strip to the backside of flag on the end with stars.
- Tie rustic flag to stick and decorate for the holidays.
Notes
When staining, soak one fabric color at a time beginning with cream muslin. Lay out to dry separate - not touching. Fabric will bleed onto other colors.
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Dianne Hadorn is the owner of Hidden Springs Homestead, nestled in the hills of East Tennessee. A Master Gardener and lifelong homesteader, she teaches families how to grow real food, preserve it with confidence, and depend less on the grocery store. Through her practical, down-to-earth approach, Dianne has become a trusted source for beginners who want to build a sustainable lifestyle and fill their pantries with food they’ve grown themselves.
Love this project!
I opted to use osnaburg cloth for background, burgundy cotton for stripes and navy blue cloth with mini stars for blue field! Washed and laid out burgundy and blue fabric to dry. Didn’t coffee dye because I didn’t see and difference in my sample.
These will be gorgeous I’m sure. Feel free to share images.