Let me help you add some patriotism to your home with this Pottery Barn patriotic banner dupe.
To be completely honest, I shop at Pottery Barn more for inspiration than to actually purchase items. They have great stuff and I absolutely love their seasonal look books, but their prices are a little too high for my budget. So I usually window shop their collection and try to DIY a cheaper version (aka “dupe”), which is exactly what I did when I saw their Liberty Outdoor Party Banner. Now that we finally have a mantle (see tutorial here), I knew I needed this adorable banner for my 4th of July fireplace vignette. The rustic burlap fabric mixed with stars and stripes pattern gives off the perfect classic Americana vibes. However, $30 for a simple holiday banner didn’t sit well with me, especially when I have the supplies to make my own.
Pin this Patriotic Banner for Later
Materials for Patriotic Banner
- Burlap Fabric Roll or Burlap banner
- Scissors
- Red craft paint -I used Craftsmart’s “Holiday Red”
- Blue craft paint – I used Craftsmart’s “Peacock Blue”
- Black craft paint
Instructions for Patriotic Banner
Create Pennants for your Banner
Start your banner DIY by either cutting the pennants out of burlap yourself or buying a premade burlap banner. I already had the premade banner on hand so I took the easy route for this project. You can find the premade banners on Amazon for around $7 which is still way cheaper than purchasing the Pottery Barn banner, especially considering Amazon’s banner is double the length which means you could potentially make two banners for cheaper than the one from PB. If you decide to cut your own pennants, you can find rolls of burlap fabric at Walmart or also on Amazon. To keep the edges of the burlap from fraying after cutting out your pennants, brush mod podge or glue along the edges (front and back). I used 9 pennants for my banner which are about 7” tall and 5 ” wide.
Star Pennants
Create Star Stencil for Blue Pennants
I tried duplicating the same star pattern as PB’s but didn’t like the way it turned out. Plus, my simplified version is quicker ;). Whichever star pattern you decide to go with, I highly recommend creating a star stencil out of paper by drawing and cutting out your star. Be sure to use paper that is thicker than printer paper for the stencil so the paint can’t easily soak through and become ruined before finishing your project.
Once you like the size and shape of your stencil, lay it on top of your banner pennant. To avoid mistakes, you may want to temporarily adhere the star to the pennant using tape or a similar method. Since I was using foam board as my crafting surface, I stuck a toothpick (couldn’t find my straight pins) through the stencil, banner, and foam board. The toothpick made it easier for me to paint around than using my hand.
Paint Star Pennants
Since I was starting with a brighter blue than I wanted the banner to be (Craftsmart’s “Peacock blue”), I mixed in a few drops of black until the color was the shade I wanted. Then I began dapping my paint-covered paintbrush along the edges of the secured star stencil. Dabbing the paint onto the pennant prevents possible slips under the stencil. I then finished the pennant by removing the stencil and painting the rest of the surface blue. Repeat for all other Star pennants.
Stripe Pennants
Mark Stripes for Red Pennants
Using a red marker and a ruler, I prepped my striped pennants before painting them. The stripes don’t need to be perfect, but I found this extra step to be helpful. I started by laying my ruler down the middle of the pennant and making a mark at every 1.5″ with my red marker. Using the marks as my guide, I drew 4 horizontal lines with the ruler to create 5 stripes. Feel free to create as many or few stripes as you wish, but I recommend going with an odd number so the top and bottom stripe are red for a more complete look.
Paint Red Pennants
Just like the blue paint, I wanted to make my red a bit darker (Craftsmart’s “Holiday Red”), so I mixed in a few drops of the dark blue that I had leftover. You can use black for this, but I wanted to use the paint I already squeezed out. Once I was satisfied with the shade, I started painting my stripes. Repeat for all other striped pennants.
Finish Banner with Twine
I painted a total of 9 pennants for this banner; 5 stripes and 4 stars. Once the pennants were dry, I attempted restringing the twine through the hole of the pennants, but quickly became frustrated so I fired up my hot glue gun and glued the string to the back of the pennants. If you glue your pennants to the string, start in the center and work your way out to easily keep them centered and equally spaced.
Decorate with your Patriotic Banner
Now you have an adorable rustic banner for the upcoming season and for the fraction of the price! Woo hoo! Once your banner is complete, it’s time to hand it for all to see! I hung my banner under our fireplace mantle but it will look great anywhere you hang it! Hang it near the dessert table for your 4th of July BBQ or maybe in your entryway.
Share your Patriotic Banner DIY
As always, thank you for following along with me in my creative journey. Be sure to tag me and use #meagannicholedotcom when sharing your patriotic banner! Thanks for stopping by MeaganNichole.com
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