Easy DIY No-Sew Garden Flag

A simple, easy DIY garden flag adds style to the front entrance of any home. A personal touch makes it a warm, inviting custom accent!

No-Sew Burlap Monogrammed Garden Flag {full tutorial}

Original post date: February 10, 2014

Good morning! Snow is in the forecast this week for northern Alabama, which would be a first for us this season. {Even though this has been the coldest stretch on record in more than 50 years!} Still, while the forecasters are calling for white stuff, I'm daydreaming about warmer weather. {How ’bout you??} I spent some time last week planning for brighter, sunnier days!

This simple project is very easy, and if you're anything like me, you probably already have most of these supplies on hand!

Supplies for a DIY Garden Flag

Garden flag stand
Burlap {12.5″ x 40″} or any other fabric you like. Canvas would be great, too!
Glue gun
Fabric of your choice
Paint & stenciling brush {spouncer}
Outdoor Mod Podge
Outdoor craft sealer
Silhouette cutting machine {optional}**
Contact paper {or any paper for a stencil}

**No Silhouette cutting machine? A craft knife or small, sharp scissors and cardstock paper will work for making the stencils!

DIY Garden Flag Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1. Gather Supplies and Pick Up a Garden Flag Stand

First, I picked up a garden flag stand. You can usually find these at a local hardware store if you need one today!

Step 2. Cut and Iron Your Background Fabric

Next I ironed and cut my burlap to the size I needed. I found that most garden flags measure 12.5″ x 18″, and that size fit my stand. So I measured a piece of burlap at 12.5″ x 40″. I planned to fold it over and leave about 4 inches at the top so the flag could slide onto the stand.

Step 3. Make the Flag Background and Create a Pocket for the Garden Stand

I used my glue gun to seal the two side edges of the burlap, since I was too lazy to pull out my sewing machine. Then I folded the extra 4 inches down and glued the top to the back piece, creating a 2-inch pocket. This is hard to picture because I didn't take a photo of this step. You'll want an opening at the top so the flag can slide onto your stand.

Step 4. Design the Monogram & Frame in the Silhouette

Note: If you don't have a Silhouette, you can skip this step. But if you want to use the same fonts I used, pay attention to this part!

Next I designed my monogram in my Silhouette software. I used a frame from the KG Flavor and Frames Five font. For the letter monogram I used the Engravers font, and for the “est. 2009” I used Big Caslon.

Step 5. Cut the Frame Out of the Fabric

Note: If you don't have a Silhouette cutting machine, it would be easy to make a template and cut it by hand!

First I needed to cut the frame from the fabric. To do that, I had to move the monogram and “est. 2009” off the mat. Everything was already in just the right spot, so I didn't want to shift it around carelessly. I nudged it over with the right arrow key, just enough to get it off the mat.

Now I was ready to cut my fabric. I had never cut fabric with my Silhouette before, but it was simple and easy!

I used my new fabric blade. It's the same blade as the regular Silhouette cutting blade, only it's housed in a blue casing to keep it separate. Use it only on fabric, the same way you keep fabric-only scissors so they stay sharp.

I bought my fabric at Hobby Lobby. It's a duck cloth, which is heavier, like canvas. When I set up the cut, I chose a blade setting of 4, which fell between the Fabric {thick like canvas} setting and the Fabric {thin like cotton prints} setting.

In hindsight, I should have picked the “thick like canvas” setting, because it didn't cut all the way through in every spot. I had to finish some of it with my scissors.

{If you don't have a Silhouette, this shape would be easy to print on paper and cut out as a cardstock stencil.}

Step 6. Create a Stencil for the Monogram

Note: If you don't have a Silhouette machine, print out a letter and “est. _____” on an 8 x 11 sheet of cardstock. Then cut it out with sharp scissors or a craft knife.

Next I cut out my monogram stencil. I chose contact paper, since I've used it with fabric before and it worked well, and I already had some on hand. No need to buy anything new! I used my usual contact paper cutting settings, but a blade setting of 2 wasn't working for me. I had to raise it to 4 to get a clean cut.

My usual contact paper settings:

Next I cut the outline of the frame so I would know where to center the monogram. That made it very easy to place on the fabric!

Step 7. Stencil the Monogram onto the Fabric

Then I painted inside the stencil onto the fabric with a spouncer brush and brown craft paint. When stenciling, always work the spouncer in an up and down motion. That gives you that crisp line on fabric.

Once the paint has dried, peel off the contact paper stencil and admire your pretty monogram.

Step 8. Glue the Monogram to the Burlap with Outdoor Mod Podge

I used outdoor Mod Podge to attach the fabric to the burlap.

Step 9. Spray All Over with Outdoor Sealer

Once the weather warms up a bit, I'm going to coat the whole thing with Aleene's Acrylic Spray Sealer in matte finish to protect it from the elements. I took it outside to the front flower bed for photos, but I'll wait to leave it out there permanently until the sealer is on and it's a bit warmer. I'd hate to see my cute new garden flag get torn up.