How to Make a Flag
You can of course buy custom flags online. But if you have a flag design in mind, or you just like craft projects, you can make your own flag. In this article I will show you how I made this flag, and the list of materials needed. With that, you should be able to make a flag yourself!
Things You'll Need
- A flag design
- A blank, nylon flag
- Colored nylon material
- Fabric iron-on transfer glue
Instructions
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BUY FLAG BLANK -- It is much easier to buy a pre-made blank flag then apply your design to it, rather than trying to make the complete flag with the canvas header and brass grommets. The 3'x5' nylon blue flag I bought was about $20. I'll give you some links below.
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DESIGN -- Now you need a design. I designed my flag in Microsoft Publisher. You can use a computer program like I did, or just draw your design on paper. A standard outdoor flag size is 3'x5', so try to keep your drawing dimensions in that ratio.
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BUY MATERIALS -- Go to a local fabric store and buy a couple yards each of the colors you need for your design. For mine, the flag was nylon, so I bought nylon material -- ask for the kind you can make flags from. Buy the same type of material your blank flag is made of. Also buy some fabric iron-on transfer glue, which has glue on one side of a paper backing. The fabric store will know what this is.
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MAKE A PATTERN -- Most of my flag design involved letters, so I printed out letters from my computer in the font I wanted, in the actual size needed. Then I cut them out and used them as stencils, tracing around them onto the nylon material. Don't cut the material yet. The Vermont state emblem I cut from a small Vermont state flag I bought. The cross is just a smaller red cross ironed on to a larger yellow cross.
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IRON ON TRANSFER GLUE AND CUT -- Iron the fabric glue onto the back of the nylon material that the letters are drawn on, but don't take off the paper backing yet. Now cut the letters/design from the material along the lines you traced from the pattern. Then peel off the paper backing. Now you have something like iron-on patches of your design.
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ARRANGE DESIGN AND PIN -- Carefully place the letters onto the blank flag where you want them, using straight-pins to hold them in place.
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IRON ON THE DESIGN -- Once the design is arranged and pinned in place, iron on the letters/design, then remove the pins. I did this on both sides of the flag so you can see the design on either side.
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Tips & Warnings
Some flag web sites may sell their scrap materials pretty cheap, which you can use for your design. Ask and see.
Be careful with the iron temperature if using nylon. Set it as low as possible to just melt the glue.
Resources
- Photo Credit Bryan Cass, gettysburgflag.com
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Comments
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anarcho-communist flag here.
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I want to make flag that resembles my profile picture.
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I've made flags for the boat. The ehow method above is a) more difficult, b) much more expensive and c) will give a heavy flag which will not flutter in the wind properly. Just but some green and some blue flag material, and stitch the four squares together with your machine using a zig-zag stitch - I go over all seams twice with the zig-zag. Also go over the whole outside edge with a double zig-zag stitch. Then cut out two red crosses and two yellow outlines and appliqué these onto each side of the flag. Do this really carefully so it they are perfectly back-to-back. You can then stick on your crown, or you can appliqué that on top in the same way. Then take some more solid material (canvassy if available), fold it in half lengthways and stitch that onto one short edge of the flag, attaching two loops of twine top and bottom to hoist the flag with. A bit fiddly, but you'll get a much better flag out of it. I have also made a flag completely by hand but it took ages and wasn't as strong.
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Where's Lincolnshire?
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Looks like a nice project - I would almost work on the project like a quilting project. Start with the red cross and work outwards. Then just stich a plain backing on it? x
