As summer and US patriotic holidays roll in, it’s time to create embroidered decor in red, white and blue.
Take a look at three US-flag inspired embroidery patterns that are designed around stars and stripes.
The finished projects can be framed, shadow-boxed, added to a dowel for a handheld flag, or even strung on a banner.
None of these patterns offer exact flag replicas. Rather they suggest the US flag–and include representative motifs.
The 13 star flag is often attributed to Betsy Ross, and it was designed during the Revolutionary War era, with the 13 stars and stripes representing the original 13 colonies in the United States.
Here’s a stitched variation with 13 burst-stitched stars layered with circular swirls. The 13 stripes are stitched rows of blossoms alternating with rows of chain stitching.
In 1803, right after Ohio was added, the flag had seventeen stars. The shape of the stars here is inspired by a quilt star.
The stars are shown alongside 13 stripes representing the original US colonies. Four stripes are fly-stitched in dark red. The other stripes are done with “+” shapes in varying shades of red.
The current US flag has 50 stars and 13 stripes. This design has you stitching a layered grid of blues with 50 little blue Xs anchoring the diagonals.
There’s a patchwork of stitched bars representing 13 stripes–I’ve labelled them in the picture above.
This is a Stick & Stitch pattern. That means it’s printed to washaway fabric. You’ll trim, stick to your base fabric, embroider, and then soak in water to remove pattern.
If you’ve got a stash of blue and red flosses, here’s what we recommend for choosing your colors.
Blues.
Use 3 blues. First choose your “true blue” which is the darkest blue in my photos. Then choose two more that are lighter and that work nicely with the first. One of these should be quite light.
I used DMC colors 162 Ultry Vy Lt Blue, 3842 Wedgewood Dk, 518 Wedgewood Lt.
Reds.
Use 4 reds. First choose your “true red”–something bright and classically red. Then choose one red that’s darker (like the brick red in a coloring box) and two lighter reds (aka “pinks”).
I used DMC colors 321 Christmas Red, 760 Salmon, 761 Lt Salmon, 816 Garnet.
Click here to purchase our Stars & Stripes pattern.
These flags look great displayed year round–and they’re ideal for decor on patriotic holidays:
- Memorial Day on May 27
- Flag day on June 14
- Independence Day on July 4
- Labor Day on September 2
- Veterans Day on November 11
Christmas in July is here...
...and so is the opportunity to plan and get started on projects you’ll display and gift a few months from now.
