How to Sew a Windsock

Windsocks can be a fun, decorative way to help celebrate any occasion. You can make a windsock from seasonal cotton prints and matching or contrasting ribbons. If you prefer, you can make the windsock from ripstop nylon and use strips of nylon instead of ribbon for streamers, but you will need to heat seal the strips or use anti-fray gel to keep the edges from raveling or buy ready made nylon streamers from a kite shop. To keep the top of the windsock open, you’ll need a piece of poly boning, available in many fabric stores.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• 1/2 Yard fabric
• Matching thread
• 10 Yards of 1 inch wide ribbon
• 1 Yard of 1/4 inch wide ribbon
• 1/2 Yard of poly boning
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Hand sewing needle (optional)

Instructions

Sew a Windsock

1. Cut a rectangle of fabric 18 inches wide by 12 1/2 inches tall or piece together several colors of fabric to make a rectangle this size.

2. Preheat the iron to the appropriate temperature for the type of fabric you’re using. (Fabrics such as nylon take low iron temperatures to prevent scorching or melting, while cottons take a fairly hot temperature).

3. Fold the top and bottom (long) edges of the rectangle over 1/4 inch toward the wrong sides of the fabric. Press the folds flat.

4. Fold the top and bottom edges over another 1/4 inch, enclosing the raw edges. Press the folds flat. Pin the folds if necessary to hold them in place.

5. Stitch along the top and bottom folds using matching thread.

6. Turn the top of the windsock over 1 1/2 inches toward the inside. Press the fold flat, but do not stitch it. Unfold the upper edge, leaving a crease.

Add the Streamers

1. Cut the 1-inch wide ribbon into 18 pieces, each 20 inches long.

2. Place the rectangle of fabric on a flat surface with the folded edges facing up.

3. Pin the short ends of the ribbons to the lower edge of the fabric. Leave 1/4 inch of fabric on each end empty.

4. Stitch across the lower edge of the fabric, sewing the short ends of the streamers to the fabric.

5. Pin the short sides of the fabric right sides together, with the streamers and folds on the outside.

6. Stitch the short sides of the fabric together using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Turn the windsock right side out.

Finish the Windsock

1. Turn the top of the windsock over 1 1/2 inches toward the inside, along the crease.

2. Overlap the ends of the strip of boning slightly. Sew the ends of the boning together, forming a loop. (If the boning has a fabric casing, you may find it easier to sew the fabric covering the boning together by hand).

3. Place the loop of boning in the top of the windsock, underneath the fold. Pin the lower edge of the fold to the windsock.

4. Stitch along the lower edge of the fold, taking care not to sew the windsock shut.

5. Cut the 1/2 yard of 1/4 inch wide ribbon in half. Place the two pieces of ribbon parallel to each other so that they overlap in the center, forming an X. Stitch the ribbons together where they overlap.

6. Sew the ends of the ribbon to inside edge of the top of the windsock.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang the windsock up where it can catch the breeze, but make sure to take it inside during bad weather.

• Use caution when working with scissors, irons, pins, sewing machines and sewing needles.

Resources

• You can buy ripstop nylon streamers here.