Celebration Flag Tutorial

Whether you are celebrating a specific holiday or a loved one’s birthday, you need one of these little quilted flags to celebrate the occasion. It is a quick and fun sewing project that you can complete in a couple of hours. At the same time you’ll use up some of your fabric scraps, which always seems to multiply by itself.
 
Finished size: approximately 4 x 6 inches
 
Notes:

• Use a ¼ inch seam allowance throughout the project.
  
• I used flannel instead of regular batting to prevent the flag from being too rigid.
  
• I used cotton fabrics for the front and back. Feel free to embellish the flag with ribbon, lace, buttons, etc. The sky's the limit!
  

 
You will need:
1 - 2.5” x 3.75” cotton rectangle
2 - 1.5” x 3.5” cotton strips
2 - 1.5” x 6.75” cotton strips
1 - 4.5” x 6.75” flannel (“batting”)
1 - 4.5” x 6.75” cotton for the backing
1 - 10” long wood Dowel stick for the “flagpole”, 3/16” diameter
Matching thread

Instructions:
1. Lay the flag pieces out according to the picture. Sew the two short strips on one long side together. Press seam open.

2. Add the pieced strips to one short side of the rectangle. Press seam open.

3. Sew the two long strips together. Press seam open.

4. Add the long strips to the short strips. Press seam open.

5. Make sure the flannel and backing pieces are the same size as the top. If not, trim to the same size. Layer the quilt in the following way: flannel on the bottom; backing right side facing up; pieced top right side facing down. Pin around the edges.

6. Start sewing on the bottom of the flag, 2 inches from the “flagpole” corner, all around till you get to the bottom flagpole corner. Backstitch at the beginning and end. There will be an opening on the bottom to turn the flag right side out. Clip corners.

7. Gently turn right side out. Push corners out. Fold fabric at the opening ¼ inch to the inside. Press. Press all seams.

8. Change the top and/or bobbin thread according to the top and backing fabric. Sew the casing for the flagpole by stitching a straight line about ⅜ - ¼ inch from the side. You want the stick to fit snug in the casing.

9. Topstitch the flag’s top and bottom sides about ⅛ inch from the side. Stop when you reach the casing’s stitching. This will close the opening on the bottom at the same time.

10. Quilt the rest of the flag as desired. Once finished, insert the dowel stick into the casing.
 
That’s it! Once you’ve made one, you won’t be able to stop!