Pottery Barn Inspired Flags

I’ve started to get friends asking me to sew things for them.  It’s one of those moments of studying a picture and thinking, “Okay, can I really do this?  Can I make it look anything like that?  Can I do it without it looking silly?”  My friend Jeni, whom I’ve known since the 6th grade, was expecting her second child and sent me this picture:

She bought the race car bedding from Pottery Barn kids and wanted the flags but they didn’t sell them anymore.  I figured it was just a little hemming and took on the project.  I’m so glad that I did!  It was super easy and I’m pleased to share the tutorial with you!  For this tutorial, we are doing a red flag instead of the yellow.

Materials:

-The fabric for this is canvas.  We bought fabric from www.fabric.com and the canvas was more of an outdoor type of canvas – it had a plastic feel to it.  You can also use the cotton canvas as well. 

You will need 1 yard each of red, blue, and white fabric and 1/2 yard of black

-Grommets (12) and grommet tool – of your size and choosing

-Scissors/fabric cutter, thread, etc.

Directions:

1.  The flags measure 22” wide by 33” long.  I did not need to hem my fabric since the plastic feel of the canvas prevented it from fraying.  If you need to hem, just leave yourself seam allowances and cut your fabric to size.  You’ll cut flags of this size in blue, red, and white.

2.   Let’s start with the checkered flag because I like to get the most complicated out of the way first!  The black squares will be sewn onto the white flag.  Cut 10 squares 5.5 x 6.5 inches.  Then you will lay them out in the following pattern:

Leave a 1” strip at the top and bottom of the flag.  This will be for your trim where the grommets will go.  Once you are happy with the placement, sew in place.

3.  Next is the flag with the diagonal stripe (blue flag, red stripe).  With your red fabric, cut a piece 5” wide by 41” long.  Lay on your flag and trim as needed.  Sew into place.

4.  Next is the trim for all of the flags.  You will need to cut 6 pieces of white fabric 2” wide by 22” long.  This will allow you 1” on each side, folded over the end of the flag (so you have 1” on each side of the flag).  If you are using a plastic canvas, fold each piece in half lengthwise to give you a guide as to where to pin on your flag.

Then place on the short ends of each flag and sew into place along all 4 sides (both long ends and the sides).  You should be able to sew both sides at once.

5.  This is where you should be at this point with all four flags:

On to the grommets.  Some grommet tools are fancy and will do the cutting for you.  The one we got on fabric.com was not.  It was 50 cents and you basically cut the hole and then hammered the stew out of it until the grommet bent over the fabric.  So I had to cut my own holes. 

Grommets are placed 1” in from the end of the flag.

Make a mark then cut your hole and make sure the inside of the grommet fits in the hole.

Then use your grommet tool to attach the grommet . . .

. . . finish with each flag.

Finished product:

Jeni had her little boy’s name embroidered on the red flag.  Here they are in the room:

      

I love them!  All done for much less than they would have been at Pottery Barn Kids.  Maybe we’ll have a little boy next time around and I can make these cute flags for myself. :)