Sew a cute patriotic banner for 4th of July! The red, white, and blue flags on this banner are easy to sew using my free pattern. Make one to decorate your mantel or porch for the holiday!
I don’t tend to do a lot of decorating for 4th of July. Between vacations and soaking in as much time as I can with my daughter, summer tends to be kind of a whirlwind for me. I do like to decorate for the 4th, it just needs to be something I can put up quick and easy.
This year, I made a 4th of July bunting banner during a couple of free days at the beginning of summer. I love it so much!
The little flags are so festive, and I can just hang it across a little china hutch on my front porch for an instant decoration.
And when the holiday is over, this little bunting banner folds up nice and small for easy storage, ready for next year.
I made my banner with just 5 flags so it would be pretty hanging from my little china hutch or other small mantel or bookshelf. You can make yours as short or as long as you like. The yardage requirements below are for a bunting with 5-7 flags but it’s easy enough to just buy a little more fabric to make a longer banner.
Each finished flag measure 7” wide x 3 ½” tall. A 5 flag bunting will be approximately 35” long. A 7 flag bunting will be approximately 49” long.
You’ll notice that my bunting banner has alternating color schemes on the flags. Some have a red background with a blue border, while others have a blue background with a red border.
Regardless of color scheme, each flag will use one red and one blue flag shape. The difference will be which color is considered the front, and what color you use for the border.
Supplies (to make a banner with 5-7 flags)
Red quilting cotton – ½ yard
Blue quilting cotton – ½ yard
White quilting cotton -scraps
Fusible webbing – ½ yard
½” double fold bias tape – 2 yards
Gluestick
Free Pattern – 4th of July Bunting Banner
Prep
Cut Flag pattern pieces out of the red and blue quilting cotton. Each flag will use 1 red Flag piece and 1 blue Flag piece.
While each Flag uses both a red and a blue piece, which color is considered the front/back will be determined by the color of Flag Border on each stripe. A flag with a red Border will have a blue piece for the front and a red piece for the back. A flag with a blue Border will have a red piece for the front and a blue piece for the back.
Trace the Star and Border shapes on to the back of your fusible webbing. The shapes are already reversed for you. You’ll need one Star and one Border shape for each flag in your bunting.
Cut some of the Border shapes from red fabric and some from the Blue in order to create alternating red/blue flags in your bunting.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse each shape to the back of the fabrics. Cut out each shape.
Sew the Flags
Place a Border piece on top of a Flag piece of opposite color (red Border on a Blue flag piece, or a Blue Border on a red Flag piece).
The illustrations for this section show a flag with a blue Border on a red Flag piece.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse in place. Top stitch the top curved side to secure. You don’t need to topstitch the ends or the bottom.
Place a Star piece above the Border, where indicated on the Placement Guide. Topstitch around all sides to secure.
Place another Flag piece of the same color as the Border on top of your Flag, RST.
The illustrations for this section show a flag with a blue Border, so there is a blue Flag piece on top. If you’re sewing a flag with a red Border, you’d place a red Flag piece on top.
Sew around curved sides and bottom with a ¼” seam allowance. Leave the top open.
Clip curves, then turn right side out and press.
The seam allowance can be kind of bulky because of the fusible webbing on the Border piece. I found it easiest to finger press the curve to ease the curve and flatten the seam allowance before pressing with the iron.
Repeat these steps for all the flags in your banner. Remember to make some of the flags in the opposite color scheme in order to create alternating flags in your bunting.
Assemble the Banner
Once you’ve sewn all of your flags, it’s time to sew them to the bias tape to make the banner.
Starting 12” – 15” from the end of your bias tape, open up the bias tape and use glue stick to glue your first flag to the bottom half of the bias tape. Make sure that the top of the flag is even with the middle crease of your bias tape. Press with a hot iron to dry the glue.
Place another flag next to the first and glue in place just as before. I left no gap between my flags, but you can leave a space between flags if you like.
Continue until all flags have been glued to the bias tape.
Fold the bias tape over at the crease, encasing the raw edges of the flags. Glue in place using glue stick, then press with a hot iron to dry the glue.
Sew the bias tape closed 1/8” from bottom edge.
Your 4th of July bunting banner is finished!
If you enjoyed this 4th of July bunting banner tutorial from Anne, you may also enjoy a fun 4th of July tutorial for “firecracker bows” from Sarah!
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