How-to Make a Union Flag

Creative

How-to Make a Union Flag

What you'll need:

scissors
paper
red, white and blue cotton or muslin
pins
iron
ironing board
sewing machine
white or cream thread
kettle
3 tea bags
bowl
wooden pole
staple gun

I’m British and I’m very proud of it.

Our history, our royal family, our castles and stately homes, our pearly queens, our fish and chips, our Sunday roast, our high tea, our cheese, our strawberries, our tennis... even our infamous rain - I embrace them all. But what could be more iconic than the Union Jack?

The Union Flag, or Union Jack as it’s more commonly known, was created in 1606 by King James VI of Scotland, who became King James I when Queen Elizabeth I died. He wanted a flag that represented both his kingdoms, so he combined the red cross of England with the saltire of Scotland. A white border was added around the red cross because the rules of heraldry state that colours (such as red and blue) cannot touch. The flag was to be used purely on the King’s ships while the original flags of England and Scotland were to be used on land. However this changed in 1707 when Queen Anne proclaimed the flag as the national flag of Great Britain and allowed its use on land and at sea.

When Ireland was unified with Great Britain in 1801 the flag had to be redesigned, so the red cross of St Patrick was added to it. And here’s an interesting fact: many people think that the Union Jack is symmetrical – but look closely and you will find that it’s not. The rules of heraldry are quite complicated but, in a nutshell, as Scotland had joined the Union nearly 200 years earlier than Ireland, its flag was placed in the most honoured position, the top quarter nearest the flagstaff. The Irish cross had the second most honoured position – the top quarter of the fly.

I used to wonder why the Welsh flag was not included in the Union Jack, but then my history teacher explained that Wales was already united with England back in the 13th century so, in effect, it was already represented.

So take care when flying the Union Jack because you may accidentally hang it upside down. To do so could mean one of two things: it could be a signal for help (it is very rarely used for this purpose, but the troops in the Boer War and some campaigns in India in the 19th century did just that), or it could be done as an insult to the crown, which is described by the French term lèse majesté, which means, literally, ‘injured majesty’.

Step 1.

Cut out paper pattern pieces using the below template.

Step 2.

Match these to the correct coloured fabric, pin to secure and carefully cut out.

Step 3.

Cut a piece of Vilene roughly the size of the finished flag.

Step 4.

Lay the Vilene out and place the top and bottom, left and right small white strips on, leaving about a 5cm (2in) gap between each strip (this is where the central red strips will be placed later).

Step 5.

Next, lay the top and bottom, left and right long white strips in place, overlapping slightly the small white pieces which are already in place.

Step 6.

When the white strips are in place, the central red strips can be positioned. Start with the central left and right pieces, making sure they slightly overlap the white edges.

Step 7.

Next lay the central red strip in place, making sure the edges overlap any white or red strips already in place so that it all looks neat and tidy.

Step 8.

Once the central strips are in place, the corners can be assembled. Starting with the top left corner, lay the two white strips (4 and 2) on to the Vilene backing first, lining them up with the sides that are already in place; at this stage the edges of the corner strips are going to overlap the central white strips.

Step 9.

Once in place, lay the red strip (3) overlapping both the white pieces either side of it.

Step 10.

Finally, lay the two blue triangles (1 and 5) at either corner of the square, making sure the edges of the blue slightly overlap each white edge.

Step 11.

Once you’re satisfied that all your strips look as if they are in the correct place, then this process can be carried out on every corner square until all pieces are in place.

Step 12.

When all the corner pieces are in place, the edges that will be overlapping the central white lines need to be tucked underneath, so that the central white lines are overlapping all the corner strips to make it look neat.

Step 13.

Once all is in place, very carefully move your flag over to the ironing board (or even assemble it there). Cover with a piece of paper and iron the pieces down on a medium heat setting, so the glue on the Vilene will set the pieces in place.

Step 14.

After ironing, use a straight stitch on your sewing machine to stitch around the strips to ensure all stay securely in place. You won’t need to sew around every strip, because you have overlapped them, so just make sure when you stitch that everything is secured.

Step 15.

Once sewn, it's time to dye your flag. Boil about 1 litre (1¾ pints) water in the kettle and pour it over 3 tea bags in a bowl. Wet your flag and then lay it in the tea water, giving it a good stir to make sure the whole flag is covered. Leave for about 15 minutes.

Step 16.

After soaking, take out your flag, give it a rinse in cold water and leave it to dry.

Step 17.

If you want a double-sided flag, repeat the procedure so that you have two flags. When complete, make sure they are the right way up and sew them back to back.

Step 18.

Once dry, the flag will need a bit of a press to remove any creases. Then you can attach it to the pole. Using a staple gun, staple the edge of the flag to the wooden pole, keeping it securely in place. Make sure that your flag is the correct way up when attaching it to the post!