Patriotic Felt Flag Pin

With just a few small pieces of felt and some basic supplies, you can make this quick and easy flag pin project just in time for the Fourth of July! If you don't want a pin, you can turn this into a head band embellishment or add a metal hair clip instead. My original concept was to try and make an actual flag shaped pin, but that didn't work, so I translated the stars and stripes into a heart shape instead. I hope you like it as much as I do! Click the link to open the Fourth of July Pin templates (the file is a .pdf, you will need Acrobat to open the file). The templates will print on a standard 8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper. Hit "back" to return to this page.

Project Supplies: Red, white, and blue felt Red and white embroidery floss White seed beeds size 11 (optional) Needles: embroidery and beading (if using beads) Sew on pin back Cutting instructions Using patterns: Cut From red felt, cut two hearts From blue felt, cut left heart piece From white felt, cut one of each stripe

Sewing Instructions

• Place the blue felt piece over the left side of one of the red felt hearts, making sure the round edges on the left side are lined up.
• Cut a piece of red floss that is 18 inches long and separate into two pieces with three strands each (I find that the floss lies smoother if you separate all the strands first and then sort them back together). Thread your embroidery needle with three strands of floss and knot the long end.
• Starting at the bottom of the heart, stitch along the edge of the blue felt with a running stitch. When you reach the top, remove the needle and let the remaining floss hang for now (you will use it later to finish the pin).
• Cut an 8-10 inch piece of white embroidery floss and divide into two sections of three strands. Thread your embroidery needle with one section of white floss and knot again.
• Place the bottom stripe in the position noted on the pattern so that the left edge is butted up against the blue felt and the right edge is aligned evenly with the edge of the heart. Stitch in place with a running stitch starting at the bottom right edge and continue around the stripe until you reach the right edge (do not stitch across the right edge).
• Place the second stripe in position, matching both edges. Stitch down as you did on the first stripe. Secure your stitching on the wrong side and cut floss.
• Thread your beading needle with the remaining three strands of white floss and scatter "stars" on top of the blue felt with seed beads or French knots. Secure end of thread and trim.
• Place second red heart on the back, aligning the edges.
• Thread your embroidery needle with the red floss that is free at the top of the heart and work around the edge with a blanket stitch, adding additional floss, if necessary. Tie off thread and hide end in between the layers.
• Sew pin back on the back of the pin, if desired. To make into a hair clip, cut a slit in the back of the second red heart before sewing them together. Slip the snap clip into the slit and sew in place.