I'm writing this fairly late at night and scheduling it for tomorrow. We have a full day of activity on Ugly House planned tomorrow, but I can't seem to sleep. I blame my allergy medicine. Yay Spring!
Tomorrow we're tackling the landscaping of Ugly House. I enjoy all things DIY, but I can honestly say that landscaping is one thing I don't particularly enjoy. I love the result of a good landscaping job, but I don't seem to have the vision for it. I have been pinning like mad trying to steal ideas from people more creative than me.
One thing I did update with the new spring weather was our garden flag at the entrance to our property. I had the Christmas one hanging up until, well, last week. That's pretty sad. Being someone who likes things a bit more modern vintage, garden flags aren't really my thing. But I found one modern beautiful Christmas one and decided to jump on the wagon.
So, I decided to just try it out and see how it worked. I am happy to report that my method has survived four rain storms, so I think it worked! Best part is it's completely sewing free.
DIY No Sew Garden FlagSupplies
Burlap. I used left over burlap table runners from the recent teddy bear baby shower.
Paint. I used left over latex paint. Acrylic would also work.
Mod Podge The best option would be outdoor Mod Podge; however, I had some matte Mod Podge and it worked fine.
Safety Pins (Optional)
Scissors
Paint Brushes
Directions
1. Cut Out Your Flag
I used another garden flag as a template on how large I wanted the flag. My flag was the same width as the burlap table runner fabric I had (12 inches) and the length was approximately 14 inches at the longest part. I decided to do an angled cut at the bottom. Keep in mind, I folded over my fabric so there was a pocket on top. Therefore the final cuts were 12 inches wide and 28 inches long.
2. Paint Your Design
I free handed my design. You could also print a design and use carbon paper to trace it onto your fabric. If you're getting really crazy, you could create a stencil with vinyl or freezer paper. I made sure I had plastic underneath the burlap and then started. I did the background chevron design first, let the burlap dry and then did the initial on top. The blurred out portion is my address. Not that I don't like visitors, but I think one or two people I don't know might actually read this blog. And my Westie isn't much for strangers. Just ask all the fallen bunnies and snakes. RIP
I started out with just doing one color on the initial and address. I decided I didn't like that and did a outline in a yellow to make the paint pop. Let all the paint dry completely before moving on to the next step.
3. Seal Everything
This was the step I couldn't find more information on. How do you keep the paint from just running everywhere when it rained? You could try a clear coat of spray paint. I didn't have that on hand, but I did have Mod Podge. I decided that worked great for my coasters, so it should hold up pretty well in the elements. I'm happy to say that we got a couple days of rain and it is still looking like day one. Using a paint brush/sponge brush, do a nice heavy coat of Mod Podge. It looks a bit scary at first, but it will dry clear.
4. Dry Over Night & Hang
Let everything dry before you put it outside. The nice thing about the Mod Podge is that it's an adhesive, so it's going to glue the two layers (front and back) together. I took two safety pins and put them right below the "pocket" where the flag pole goes. That will be my back up if the two layers become unglued after sitting out in the elements. I also always use a large safety pin from the side of the flag to the pole because I kept losing my flags in the South Dakota wind. You could also add ribbon or flower accents to your flag if you want to get really fancy.
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