I love making unique garden flags. My go-to material for these outdoor accessories are Dollar Tree placemats! You read that right. $1 fabric placemats! But, if you don’t live near a Dollar Tree and you have old placemats, you could upcycle them into a Valentine’s Day garden flag!

A few years ago, I made this Let it Snow flag:

Although it doesn’t seam to convince Mother Nature to bring us some white powder, it has held up nicely in the cold and rain. I’ve since set out to create a garden flag for each season. I have a Fall themed flag and a Summer flag. So, why not a Valentine’s Day flag?!

Start by collecting some supplies. Feel free to substitute what you have on hand.

Materials:

  • Dollar Store placemat
  • Ruler
  • Soap sliver (pencil or disappearing fabric marker)
  • Letter stencils (I chose a set by Martha Stewart Plaid)
  • Round paint brush
  • Tulip Fabric paint (white and black)
  • Tulip glitter fabric paint
  • Tulip glitter transfer sheets
  • Fabric scraps (red, pink and white)
  • Polyester stuffing
  • Scrap fabric, towel or rag (for ironing the glitter iron-ons)
  • White thread
  • Scissors

Begin by ironing the fabric you will be using (including the placemat). Use caution when ironing the placemat, the DollarTree ones I bought are polyester and needed a cooler iron.

Fold over one of the short sides of the placemat at 2.25 inches. Create a fold by ironing it.

Stitch along the edge to create a pole pocket.

Use your stencils (or freehand) to paint the letters M-I-N-E onto red fabric.

Draw a heart around the words using the soap sliver. Cut out you heart shape.

Cut several more hearts out of the fabric scraps and glitter transfer sheets.

Cut out a bee shape using gold and black glitter iron-on sheets (or fabric scraps.) Create wings for the bee by cutting a figure 8 shape out of white fabric.

Lay out the shapes on the placemat and adjust them until you are happy with the design. Pin all the fabric pieces in place.

Stitch around the edges of the fabric shapes using a blanket or other decorative stitch.

Leave an opening at the top of some of the bigger hearts. Push a small wad of stuffing into the hearts using the eraser end of a pencil.

Finish stitching the heart closed and stitch the remaining fabric hearts onto the placemat flag.

Time to iron on those glittery hearts! Peel the clear backing off the hearts and bee.

Lay them onto the placemat/flag, lay a piece of scrap cloth on top  and then heat the glitter shapes with an iron for 40 seconds to adhere them to the flag.

Sew around the bee’s wings and add some stuffing if desired.

Paint a little bee travel line with the round paint brush and black fabric paint.

Paint glitter hearts to fill in any empty spots in your design.

Let the paint dry and then prominently display your new garden flag.


It won’t bee long before you get compliments from the neighbors.

I hope y’all have a wonderful February and a Happy Valentine’s Day!


12 replies
  1. Colleen
    Colleen says:

    That is absolutely adorable. That type of project would be really cute for right outside the classroom window. Especially if it incorporated elements from the curriculum. That I think I shall make! Thank you.

    Reply

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  2. […] our Valentine’s Day flag (that I’m embarrassed to say hung until this […]

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