Quick DIY Parade Pennants for Veterans Day

As Veterans Day approaches I thought it would be appropriate to make some felt pennants for a parade, or maybe to hang on your door or stick in your front lawn as a way to say thank you for all who have served honorably in the military. You could even give these out to all the Veterans you know.

Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. While those who died are also remembered, Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served – not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty. —United States Department of Veteran Affairs

Supplies needed:

1. Felt in red, white and blue
2. skewers or balsa wood sticks
3. ribbons in patriotic colors
4. sewing skills and a sewing machine
5. a hot glue gun or fabric glue
6. thread

First you’ll need to cut felt strips. You can do this any way you like really. I chose to sew three inch strips together for this pennant design but you could easily make a pennant in all one color and skip the sewing.

Then sew them together. You’re probably wondering why I sewed a French flag. That was not my intention at all but you’ll see in the next step when I cut the flag into a pennant shape that it’s not so French looking afterall and just supposed to be patriotic.

Tah Dah! If you cut your flags just so, you should be able to reverse the triangles and get several pennants out of your sewn together pieces.

Next you’ll need to cut your decorative ribbons. Any length will do, you just want them long enough to wave in the breeze when swung around in the festivities. Then tack them onto the top of your flag on the wide end with a few stitches or glue.

Then roll the fat end over your shish-ka-bob stick (cut off the pointy end if you’re worried about sticking anyone) and sew (or glue if you’re not the sewing type) it onto your stick. If you do sew it on, you’ll want to stick just a dab of glue at the top and bottom so the flag stays put and doesn’t slide down the smooth stick.

Trim the excess fabric off the folded over edge and press for sharpness (Veterans will appreciate that.) and you’re ready to roll!

Whether you’re heading to a parade or you are your own parade, these little pennant flags are sure to put a smile on any Veteran’s face. Thank you Veterans! Without you we wouldn’t live in such a peaceful place!

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Difficulty Level: Easy if you know how to sew. Moderately difficult if you’ve never sewn before.
Appropriate Age levels: Teenager to adult. However, the end product will be fun for children of all ages. Just be careful of the sharp pointy end of the skewers and as always keep children away from hot glue guns.

Find More Patriotic Crafts Here:

• Patriotic Ice Cream Sundaes with Star Cookies 
• Easy DIY Geometric Art for Patriotic Holidays 
• DIY Holiday Hats for Every Occasion