Patchwork Flag Shirt

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. There’s just something nostalgic about a hot summer’s day, watching fireworks, cooking out with friends, and evenings spent at the lake with my family. This year the US celebrates its 250th birthday, and I thought the perfect way to “celebrate” was (obviously) by making a fun patchwork shirt. All it took were some red, white and blue fabric scraps from my stash and a little bit of lace to make this Patchwork Flag Shirt come to life.

Lucky for you, I took notes (and pictures) of the process I used so you can make your own flag shirt this year! It’s a fairly quick project and SO cute. Plus you can easily make multiple flags at the same time, so everyone in your family can celebrate the 4th in style.

Shop all my sewing essentials here! And if you want to see the process in video form, make sure to check out the Instagram reel I shared.

Patchwork Flag Shirt

Materials:

Fabric scraps in red, white and blues
Lace trim (optional)
Double sided hem tape
Rotary cutter and mat
Quilting ruler
Sewing machine & thread
Pins
Shirt or tank top

Instructions:

1. Select a variety of red, white and blue fabric scraps (I used 4-5 different fabrics for each color). I lined mine up before cutting to make sure I liked how all the colors and prints went together.
2. Cut the fabric into 1 1/2″ strips. You will only need 1-2 strips depending on how wide your piece of fabric is.
3. Cut each strip into 3″ and 4″ pieces. If you want to use more fabrics for each row, cut some into 2″ pieces as well.
4. Set out the pieces in the shape of the flag. I originally had a total of 9 rows (4 which were blue) but realized it was WAY too big for a shirt, so I reduced it to 7 rows (3 blue ones), starting and ending with a red row, just like the actual flag. Remember that you will be sewing with a 1/4″ seam allowance, so each row will be 1″ wide, and each fabric scrap piece will be 1/2″ shorter after sewing them together.
*Make sure the blue sections are the same width so they line up when sewing the rows together*
5. Stack the pieces from each row in order so you ensure you’re sewing the correct pieces together in the following step.
6. Now it’s time to sew the pieces together to make each row! Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew the first two pieces right sides together. Sew the next piece on to start forming a row of either blue & red and blue & white or solid red and solid white.
7. Repeat for all the rows.

8. Once you have formed the desired amount of rows, press the seams between each of the pieces open so they lie flat.
9. Now it’s time to sew the rows together! Make sure to line up the blue seams to form the blue rectangle in the flag.
10. Press the seams apart.

11. Decide on your desired size for the flag shirt. If you used 7 rows, it will be 7″ tall (after folding in the raw edges). I decided on a final width of 10 3/4″ and added 1/4″ on each side to account for folding in the raw edges. Trim the sides to your desired width and fold each of the sides in by 1/4″.
12. If you aren’t adding lace, skip to the next step!
Using double sided hem tape, tape around the folded edge (on the back side of the flag). Stick the lace to the perimeter of the flag. The hem tape will keep it in place.
13. Grab your shirt or tank top and decide on where you want to place your flag. I like to fold my shirt in half and press so I can see where the center of the shirt is. Once you’re happy with placement, use some pins to pin it in place. Before sewing it on, hold up the shirt to make sure you like where it is (you can even put it on to double check).
14. Carefully edge stitch along the perimeter of the flag. Make sure you’re catching the lace as you sew (if you added it) . Backstitch and trim all the loose threads.

Now it’s time to show off your awesome Patchwork Flag Shirt!

If you made your own Patchwork Flag Shirt, make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see how it turned out! And if you have any questions, please leave a comment. I’m more than happy to help :)

Happy 250th, America!