July 4th Decor: DIY Torn Fabric Flag
After I made the DIY ticking stripe American flag using a simple stitch, crafting became contagious. So, I was inspired to make this DIY torn fabric flag for the summer holidays, too. The creative process has always been fun to me! Making something from scratch or transforming something old into something that I love always gives me a sense of accomplishment.
I know the 4th of July is all about the red, white and blue, and I love that. However, I created a few simple DIYS to inspire others to make something that works in their decor when you can’t find something in stores. This DIY torn fabric flag is easy to make and can be altered to make a traditional red, white and blue version or torn fabric banners, as well.
Here’s what I need from the store:
- Ticking stripe fabric – Hobby Lobby
- Star fabric – Hobby Lobby
- White lace ribbon
Here’s what I grabbed from the craft room:
- Scissors
- Hot glue and glue gun
- Wooden dowel or flat trim piece
- White tulle
- Blue and white twine
I only bought half a yard of each fabric to create a couple of easy summer DIYS! You can use any color, style or patterns of fabric, ribbons, or string to create your own version of this DIY torn fabric flag. The key is to get a variety of pattern sizes in the fabric so that they work in unity; the big stars contrasts well with the small ticking strips. It is also important to get an assortment of textures in the ribbons to create interest; the tulle creates depth and the lace ribbon offers a bit of contrast to the fabric.
To get started, tear fabric into one inch wide strips. First, I used the scissors to cut 1/2 inch cuts into the fabric to make tearing the fabric easier. I used the pattern in the fabric as my guide, cutting on either side of the star, and after every 3 lines in the ticking stripe. It worked out to be about one inch wide strips. After you cut into the fabric, tear along the grain of the fabric. Remove any lose stings. You may have to pull the fabric strips on both sides to remove any wrinkles caused when the fabric is torn. The length of the striped fabric strips are about 18 inches long. The star fabric can be cut at 8 inches in length, but keep one long in length for the top of the flag. Cut your ribbons and string into 18 inch strips as well. I cut the tulle an inch longer… I will share why.
Lay your stars and stripes fabric strips onto the table to get an idea of placement. For the stripes, I spread out about 20 of the fabric strips the width that I wanted the flag to be; it is about 16 inches wide, because I overlapped the strips. I laid the star fabric about 6 inches in width, and used 6-8 strips, on top of the left side of the flag. Lay the star fabric over the striped fabric. Use a 16 inch wooden dowel or a thin piece of scrap wood. Begin hot gluing the strips of the striped fabric to the entire length of the wood, using overlapping technique to create more depth.
Next, hot glue about 6-8 pieces of the star fabric over the top left side of the striped fabric onto the wood. I just use a dot of glue in the middle of each piece, leaving the sides unattached so that I can add more ribbon later.
I begin to glue a variety of ribbons and strings to the flag, placing some of the ribbons under the strips and some of the strips of fabric. I used a lace ribbon, tulle, silk ribbon and blue and white string.
Then, tie a knot into one end of the tulle and string so that you have a larger section to glue. Glue and place these into the flag as you like. I placed the ribbons and string about two inches apart throughout the flag.
Come back in with a few of the stars and stripes fabric strips to cover the ribbons. So that it looks like a flag, you want the fabric strips to be on top. Lastly, take the star fabric strip and glue across the top of the flag to hide the top of the fabric and ribbon glued to the flag, letting it hang over the ends to hide the wood.
Next, I glued a 20 inch piece of the blue and white twine to the back side of the wood on each side to create a hanger. I also cut a few of the ribbons under the star fabric strips to its length. This DIY torn fabric flag is so easy to make.
Another simple way to create a torn fabric flag of any size is to hot glue strips of torn fabric and ribbon to the back of a painted piece of flat wood trim. Lastly, hot glue cording on the back to hang.
