Flag Decor - An Upcycle

-

 It's June and that means Flag Day and Independence Day are just around the corner. So, it's time for a little flag decor to mark the occasions.  

Since I'm always a fan of a good upcycle, let me present my summer top.
I've always hand-washed it in cold water and no matter how I tried, the red bled into the white.  It doesn't show up that well in the picture, but if you look carefully in the upper right, you may see what I mean. The interesting thing was the bodice of the top didn't bleed - at least not a much!  Most of it was around the arms and neckline.
Well, I couldn't wear that anymore, but the red and white stripes gave me an idea!
This post may contain affiliate links.

Out came my rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut some strips.
One linen top deconstructed into about ten strips!
This lovely (large) wooden knitting needle was in my stash just waiting to be used for something other than knitting.
It's about 14 inches long.
I started attaching the strips of fabric to the needle...
...until they were all on.
Then I grabbed a pocket from my stash of denim.
I cut out a wonky star...
...and blanket-stitched it to the pocket.
The pocket was hot-glued to the top of the needle over those linen strips of fabric.
Almost done!
A piece of jute string was attached to either end for hanging. A little dab of hot glue was added to keep it from sliding off the knitting needle.
My little upcycled flag was ready for hanging!

One more upcycle and a top that didn't go into the landfill!

Have you done any upcycling lately?


Featured at:




Comments

  1. Kim June 6, 2026 at 8:42 PM

    I love this, Ann! Great vision and a great use of some old clothes! You are so creative...and you'll be looking mighty festive this 4th of July!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnJune 8, 2026 at 1:32 PM

      Thank you, Kim.  I hated to see it just thrown away.

      Delete
  2. Gail @Purple Hues and MeJune 7, 2026 at 8:40 AM

    What a creative and eco-friendly way to upcycle a blouse, Ann! Although I would have liked to see it on you first, lol! It's really a clever way to create a patriotic vibe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnJune 8, 2026 at 1:33 PM

      Thanks, Gail!  It really was a pretty top...until the color ran!

      Delete
  3. SusanJune 7, 2026 at 10:55 AM

    This is an adorable idea!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nancy @ Grace and Peace QuiltingJune 7, 2026 at 1:23 PM

    So clever!!! And Flag Day is just around the corner!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jennifer WiseJune 10, 2026 at 8:37 AM

    I LOVE this! What a great idea, and it's beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us at the Will Blog for Comments #85 linkup. Looking forward to seeing what you'll share at #86, which opens Monday morning. Wishing you a great week to come.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnJune 10, 2026 at 3:13 PM

      Thank you so much, Jennifer.  I'll be sure to stop by!

      Delete
  6. bamauthor.meJune 11, 2026 at 11:03 AM

    Wonderfully creative!

    ReplyDelete
  7. TarahlynnJune 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM

    Thanks for sharing with us I'm featuring you on Wednesday when the next To Grandma's house we go link party starts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnJune 13, 2026 at 8:24 AM

      Thank you so much, Tarah.  I really appreciate the feature.

      Delete
  8. Joanne June 12, 2026 at 7:40 PM

    That turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Coastal BohemianJune 16, 2026 at 6:54 PM

    Love the touch of denim. Great flag.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Donna @ Modern on MonticelloJune 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM

    I love this idea, Ann! I have to feature your post this week. Pinned it as well. I haven't upcycled anything lately but I have a few on my list to get done. Thanks for sharing on the link party. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnJune 17, 2026 at 7:40 PM

      Thank you, Donna.  I appreciate the pin and feature.  I need to get motivated to do more...maybe this is the summer slump??

      Delete
  11. Kerryanne @ Shabby Art BoutiqueJune 18, 2026 at 10:58 PM

    Cute upcycle Ann. I'm delighted to be featuring this project on Create, Bake, Grow & Gather today and pinning too.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Break Out Those Wine Corks!

-
Image
You've been self-isolating, drinking some wine, and saving the corks for a project.  But, before you think I'm accusing you of drinking too much, we both know that every wine-drinker has a stash of corks somewhere in their house.  It's time to dig them out and finally DO something with them.   Welcome back to 10 on the 10th , a group of bloggers sharing ideas and inspiration for less than $10.  This month we're sharing Tips While Social Distancing and we've got some great ideas for you.  Let's get started..... First, find those corks.  They're probably hiding in drawers or a cabinet...maybe in a box or bag.  You can find them. I have faith in you!  My first project is an easy one.  All you need is a hot glue gun, a can, and your corks.  This jade plant has been living in an aluminum can ever since I cut it away from the original plant.  It's doing quite well, but, let's face it, this container is not very pretty. ...
Read more

Wine Cork Wreath

-
Image
Just a note...I promised to share the wreath and picture in a previous post.  Here they are: Now, if you're anything like me, you've been saving wine corks for forever because there is a fabulous project that you will just HAVE to make with them.  The problem is, you haven't found it yet! Have no fear, your project is here! To get started, you will need lots of these: How many, you ask?  I estimate that I used between 200 and 250 corks.  You will also need a straw wreath, like this: Don't forget to remove the plastic! This next step is extremely important! Wrap some wire around the wreath and make a loop for hanging.  There is nothing worse than getting your wreath all done and then say to yourself, "Hmmm, how the heck do I hang this thing!?! Now you're ready to get started.  Be sure to cover your work surface to protect it.  I used a lovely old vinyl tablecloth that I had laying around....
Read more

Denim Flowers - Two Ways

-
Image
  Two ways, you ask?  read on and you'll see why!  There are lots of ways to make denim flowers and I experimented with two of them.   But, first....  ... i t's time once again for  The Sustainable Pinterest  Challenge , a group of bloggers who are challenged to recreate a pin from Pinterest focused on sustainability. Many thanks to  Julie from Sum of Their Stories  &  Gail from Purple Hues and Me  for hosting.  This month the theme is flowers and I was inspired by this pin , so let's start with the first one that looks like a rose, my all-time favorite flower! I cut a piece of denim and started cutting out petals.   As you can see, I made a couple of patterns and I also cut a strip of denim for the center.  I brushed on a 50/50 mix of Mod Podge and water to give the denim some stiffness for shaping the leaves. I left them to dry overnight. The edge of the denim strip was folded over and rolled on a toot...
Read more

How To Decoupage Dresser Drawers - With Napkins!

-
Image
Welcome back!  Last week you saw a garage sale dresser transformed with paint and decoupaged napkins.  If you missed it, click here .  Today I have a little tutorial showing how it was done.  Let's get started, shall we? The drawers were sanded down to bare wood and the edges were painted black to match the rest of the dresser.  The napkins were found at the Dollar Store. Notice they are 2-ply napkins?  You only need one, so separate those layers! Iron the one-layer.  It helps when you are ready to lay it down on the wet decoupage medium.   Since the napkins were not wide enough to cover the entire drawer, I was going to have to piece them together.  These napkins also had a very definite pattern that was going to need matching, so it was time for some measuring.  I found the middle of the drawer and matched it to the middle of the napkin.  Then I marked the edges of the napkin on the edge of the drawer with ch...
Read more