The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is highly distinctive with its red, white and blue stripes. The Union Jack flag is ideal for adding to a variety of craft projects and for making items to celebrate royal occasions and national celebrations or simply as a mark of ‘Cool Britannia’. The iconic flag is recognised the world over and makes a strong design statement.
Here are some Union Jack craft ideas:
1. Union Jack bunting and garlands
Bunting and garlands are ideal for adding a splash of colour to a party. Give this a Union Jack theme by printing the Union Jack onto several pieces of A4 paper and cutting pennant shapes from this. Hang the shapes from cord or string to make bunting and garlands. Paper chain garlands can be made in a similar way by cutting strips of paper from a Union Jack image and using these to make the links of a paper chain.
2. Union Jack cards
A Union Jack card is ideal for marking a special occasion. There are many ways to create a Union Jack by hand. Print a Union Jack and use this as a template to cut pieces from red white and blue paper and attach these to the front of a card. This presents alls sorts of creative opportunities as patterned paper and fabric can also be used with great effect.
3. Union Jack t-shirts
Decorate plain t-shirts with the Union Jack image. This makes a great gift as well as being fun to wear to celebrate a national occasion. There are many ways to add the Union Jack to a t-shirt or other garment. Fabric paints are easy to use and many are now available as pens and marker pens making them very straightforward to control. Embroidery is also a good way to add the Union Jack and the simple outlines make this a project that is suitable for beginners as well as for those more accomplished with a needle. Another fun idea is to make a Union Jack from pieces of fabric. This is a form of appliqué and would also work well on bags, jeans and many other items.
Finding and Using the Union Jack Flag
While it is possible to draw the Union Jack flag by hand, people who are short on time or don’t want to draw the flag from scratch may find it more convenient to print a flag to use as a template. There are many free flags available on the Internet, both as outlines and as coloured images. These can easily be resized on a printer to create larger or smaller images as required.
When using the Union Jack flag in projects it is important to remember to display the flag the right way up. The flag is not symmetrical and can easily be displayed upside down. The correct way to display the flag is with the thicker part of the white diagonal stripe at the top of the left hand corner.Whether it’s for a national celebration, special royal occasion or as a symbol of ‘Cool Britannia’, the Union Jack flag makes a great decorative feature for use in many craft projects.
