American Flag Art from an Old Window

Learn how to transform an old window into patriotic American flag art to display for Memorial Day, Flag Day and July 4th.

I tend to think of upcycling and repurposing as old-fashioned American virtues.

So when it came time to share a patriotic project for our monthly Celebrations of Home blog hop, I started rooting around in my stash of salvaged treasures.

Every month, my  friends and I join to share seasonal crafts, decorating projects, DIYs and recipes. With Memorial Day, Flag Day and July 4th coming up, we decided to roll out the red white and blue. You can see what they made at the end of this post.

For my project, I found a crusty old window with layers of peeling red and white paint.

Did I get lucky with that patina, or what?

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I didn’t even have to paint the window frame to make the American flag art. (But you totally could; I recommend using milk paint; it’s great for layering and to get that aged, chippy look.)

When working with old windows, especially those with a peeling and chipping finish, be sure to test for lead paint and take the proper precautions.

You will need an electronic cutting machine, like a Silhouette or a Cricut, for this project.

You’ll also need red vinyl, blue vinyl and vinyl transfer tape. A vinyl weeding tool is also helpful, but not necessary.

Cut the red stripes and blue star field out using your electronic cutting machine. If you have a Silhouette, you can use this free file and scale it to fit the window you’re using. (Mine was 23.5 inches by 16.5 inches.)

After you’ve cut your vinyl and weeded it, I recommend using vinyl transfer tape to transfer the blue star field to the glass.

I recommend putting the star field on first, in the upper left corner of the window, and then adding the stripes.

You can use transfer tape to attach the stripes, too, or just carefully peel them off the backing and stick them to the window glass, smoothing out any air bubbles.

Keep in mind that the American flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes, representing the original 13 colonies.

It starts and ends with a red stripe. Remember that!

Otherwise, you might have to rearrange your stripes after you’ve finished your flag and had your husband climb on a ladder to hang it. (And also after you’ve taken photographs of it for your blog. Oh wait, that happened to me, even though I knew about the stripes and how they are arranged on the flag. I’m sure it won’t happen to you! )

My husband is definitely a true patriot when it comes to this blog. Though he was relaxing (and probably trying to nap), he climbed back up on that ladder for me to hang the correctly striped Old Glory.

That man deserves a medal!

If you liked this American flag art, be sure to check out these other stars-and-stripes inspired projects and my other patriotic ideas, crafts, recipes and party inspiration.

Mason Jar Flag Artwork

Patriotic Nautical Flag

Betsy Ross Flag Chair

Patriotic Bunting