DIY Patriotic Pennant Banner

This red, white, and blue patriotic banner is a cute decoration that can be used for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, or any other patriotic day. It’s stylish, and easy to make.

The Supplies:

• ¼ yard white duck canvas
• blue and red craft paint
• 2 sponge brushes
• string
• hot glue gun and glue
• scissors
• newspaper
• cereal box or other lightweight cardboard
• pencil
• painters tape (not pictured)

The Instructions:

Start by making a pennant template. Fold a piece of lightweight cardboard (a cereal box works great) in half and use a straight edge to draw a line, making a triangle shape, then cut along the line and unfold to have the pennant shape. This will help all of your pennants on the banner be uniform in size and shape. Mine is about 7” across the top, and about 10” from the top to the tip.

Lay out the canvas, keeping the original fold from off the fabric bolt. Align the short edge of the pennant template on the cut side of the canvas. This way you can cut out two layers of fabric at once. Trace 3 triangles, alternating directions to make the most out of your fabric and your cutting. Notice in the picture how I labeled the 3 triangles, you only really need to trace two, but by aligning them correctly, you will have 3 triangles. Cut them out, cutting through both layers of fabric at once, and set them aside.

Lay out newspaper to protect your tabletop. Align 3 of the 6 pennants on top of the newspaper. It helps to make sure they are straight by looking for a continuous line across the tops, and for the tips to all reach the same point on the edge of the newspaper. Once they are all straight, use painters tape to make three evenly-spaced strips across. You want the exposed canvas strips to look as wide as the tape, so the white and red stripes will look the same. Use a sponge brush to dab on the red paint. Pull up the tape and let it continue drying for a few minutes. Set them aside.

Next we will use more lightweight cardboard from a cereal box to cut out a star template. Use a fold in cardboard to help you draw a straight line. If you use a pencil you can erase lines if you need to until you get it just how you like it. I made my first star too big, so I had to redraw the lines inside before cutting. Poke a hole in the center with your scissors and then cut out the star piece by piece.

Tape the star template on the pennant- note that the top part of the pennant will be folded over when we attach it to the string, so you may want to move the star slightly lower than the center. Carefully blot the blue paint on the star template. On my project, even though I was careful the paint still leaked under the template a little. If you want a smoother line, a real (non-sponge) paint brush may do a better job. The sponge brush does not make it look sloppy, just slightly curvy, but I thought it added some character. Wipe the back of the template with a paper towel before continuing to the next pennant. Finish the 3 pennants, and once all are dry, you are ready to put it together.

Plug in your glue gun and get your string ready. You will want to leave 12-18” of string on the end before attaching the first pennant. Make a line of glue on the back of the pennant and fold over the top. Leave a few inches in between and continue gluing the pennants. I followed the pattern of star on the left, stripes on the right, so it resemble an American flag. Glue all six pennants and leave 12-18” of string again on the end. Clip the corners of the folded piece off so they are not visible from the front side. Now you are ready to hang it up. It can hang on a mantle, over a window, bookshelf, or on the edge of a table for a party. There are so many things you can do with a pennant banner. I hope you enjoy it!