How to Design a Garden Flag

Flowers are not the only way to bring color and design into the garden Flags are a clever way to decorate a garden for any occasion.

Signal the arrival of each season with a beautiful flag or show support for your country or your alma mater with patriotic and college flags.

Animal flags are very popular as well; display a flag with a picture of wildlife or your favorite breed.

Whether you hang them from a flagpole, attach then to the mailbox or attach a bracket to the wall to display your flags, show your garden flags with pride. Garden flags also make great gifts for everyone!

Step1
Look at garden flags to get an idea of different designs that are out there. You may find them at garden stores, big box stores or even at kiosks at the mall. Several are sold online by various retailers, such as Amazon and eWind Designs.
Step2
Start drawing a design on paper. The design should be as complicated as your abilities allow. Since you will be appliquéing the design to the flag, you might want to consider a more simple design for your first attempt.
Step3
Choose the colors for your design, then head on down to your local fabric store. A garden flag, since it will be outside, should be made of a weather-resistant fabric like polyester. Ask a person at the fabric store for some ideas. Be aware that over time, the colors will inevitably fade in the sun.
Step4
Make a pattern for your garden flag by cutting out the various pieces of your design. You'll have what looks like smooth puzzle pieces. Make sure to add a ½ seam allowance to every puzzle piece.
Step5
Cut out the puzzle pieces and press them with your iron so that the seam allowance is tucked under. This will lengthen the life of the appliquéd pieces by keeping the fabric edges from fraying.
Step6
Prepare your flag by finishing the edges. Fold them over and sew them in place. Decide where you wish to have your flag pole inserted into the flag, and create an opening for it by folding the fabric over and sewing it in place. Leave a little sleeve in which the flag pole can be inserted. Finishing the edges is important for it lengthens the life of your garden flag by keeping the edges of the fabric from fraying.
Step7
Start laying the various puzzle pieces on your flag and pinning them in place. Sew them to the flag either by hand or with your machine.
Step8
Hang your garden flag in a prominent place in your garden.

Garden Flags

Any flag that is used to add color to or to decorate your yard can be considered a garden flag. A garden flag is a great way to express yourself and can be used to celebrate holidays, seasons or anything meaningful to you.

A patriotic flag can also be flown in the garden. During World War II many Americans grew their own produce so the vegetables grown by the farmers could be sent to the troops overseas. Many people who did this flew the American flag to show they were chipping in to help the war effort. If you decide to fly a national flag in your garden be sure to learn the proper etiquette of flying the flag first.

Early in the growing season, most gardens can be pretty dull, so flags can be flown to add some color and incentive. An example of this would be a flag with a red tomato on it to show what the green ones growing in the yard will look like when ripe. The colors of flags are also used to attract birds to a flower garden or to shoo unwanted animals from a seed garden. Bird flags such as cardinal flags or hummingbird flags are popular in flower gardens.

You can also design your own custom garden flag by choosing what you would like for an emblem or make your own garden flag by painting or drawing on a piece of fabric. Let your imagination run wild. The flags colors will add to the beauty of the garden and show people you have made an effort to spice it up a little.

Remember your garden flag is for outdoor use, so it will need to be a durable and waterproof flag. Some people change their flags as the seasons change to symbolize the changing weather and climate. A Christmas flag or winter themed flag is a good idea to fly in your garden as it may be snow covered, for months, in areas with harsher climates.

Garden flags are also common in communities that rely on tourism to drive their economies and they can be regularly seen in public gardens in cities or hanging from lamp posts in small towns. Flags are cheaper than hanging baskets in the long run.

Decorative flag

Decorative flag is a piece of woven cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signalling or identification. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.

The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is similarly challenging (such as the maritime environment where semaphore is used). National flags are potent patriotic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes, though at this less formal end the distinction between a flag and a simple cloth banner is blurred. The study of flags is known as vexillology, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

Decorative house flags

When the weather is dull, and the yard is drab, a house flag not only breaks up the humdrum appearance, it can be a promise of better things to come. Late winter is brightened with beautiful pastel designs for Easter. Early Spring bursts onto the scene with bunches of daffodils, and baskets of blooming tulips. Summer is greeted by kittens gamboling through a painted garden, or by puppies tripping over each other. And don’t forget winter! When all else is white, a flag sporting seasonal messages or characters such as snowmen, can signal that you’re still celebrating, despite the cold.

The selection of patterns and themes in house flags is virtually endless. You can purchase flags to be hung for weeks or months at a time, such as those which go with a season, or you can salute a special birthday, graduate, wedding, or new arrival. There are a wide variety of decorative pictures and images within each category as well, with literally hundreds of colorful flags for Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and the Fourth of July.

The majority of decorative house flags are made out of nylon, and depending on the size (22”x 43” is average), may be fixed with grommets, or tabs for hanging on a pole. Some special commemorative flags, like those for the Confederacy, first States, or the original Elizabeth Ross American flag, are hand made from cotton, with each section sewn individually, and some portions, embroidered. These tend to be not as durable as the nylon, and should be hung only for the most special occasions, and for brief periods.

Care instructions for your house flag, should be included when you purchase it. As a rule of thumb, washing flags by hand in mild detergent, then rolling in a towel and drying flat, is preferable to machine washing, even if the manufacturer says it is safe. Depending on how your flag’s design was created, e.g. screening, hand-painting, deep dyeing, you may want to consider how long you will leave it hanging at a time, or whether it would be better to put the bracket and pole in a location that doesn’t receive full, constant sun.

Don’t live in a house? Not a problem. Decorative house flags come in special “mini” sizes with appropriate brackets and poles that are suitable for hanging on condos, or the patio of an apartment.

Not only are colorful house flags a delightful addition to your own home, they make great gifts, for friends, family and new neighbors!