Are you looking for a Union Jack craft idea for a royal or British celebration? Whether you’re planning a street party, decorating your garden, or hosting a patriotic event, these DIY Union Jack ribbon windsocks are the perfect festive touch.
We first made these windsocks to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation on 6th May 2023, hanging them from a tree at the top of our road for our coronation street party. They moved beautifully in the wind, adding colour, movement, and a royal flair to the day.
This easy craft is also a brilliant upcycling project as you’ll be recycling empty toilet roll tubes and turning them into charming British celebration decorations. Perfect for coronations, the King’s birthday, VE Day, or any royal-themed event!
For another version of this craft please see the Royal Ribbon Windsock craft.
How to make a Union Jack ribbon windsock.
You will need:
- A toilet roll holder
- A4 coloured paper (blue, red and white)
- Ribbon 1cm width (blue, red, and white)
- Hole-puncher
- Safety scissors
- Pritt Stick glue
- Washable PVA glue
- Brush for PVA glue
- Pencil and ruler
There are a number of ways of making the Union Jack flag out of paper, but I found this to be the best way after trying quite a few methods. Hopefully I have saved you time and you can just get right to it!
Step 1. Firstly, the blue background for the flag will need to be made. The size will be based on your toilet roll holder. Place your toilet roll holder on the blue paper, mark out the length with a pencil and ruler, then cut.
Step 2. Then place the paper around the toilet roll holder and mark out where you need to cut the excess. Leave a little extra room for a small overlap such as 0.5cm. For example, my blue flag background was 10.3cm x 14.5cm.
Step 3. For the white and red components of the flag, draw and cut to the measurements below. For the columns, you can use the width of the A4 paper which is 21cm.
- Red cross, 2.2cm width, 16cm x 16cm
- White cross, 3.5cm width, 16cm x 16cm
- Red column (x 4), 0.7cm width, 10.5cm length
- White column (x 2), 2cm width, 21cm length
Once you have completed this, you will have all 9 components like these.
The crosses and columns should be larger than the blue flag background at this stage. This allows us an excess that we can cut to size later as all toilet roll holders differ in size.
Step 4. Next stick the red cross onto the white cross and the red columns onto the white columns, exactly like the picture below. They do need to be just like this to have the right end result.
Step 5. Stick the first white column diagonally onto the blue flag background with Pritt Stick glue. Pay attention to which way the red columns are as they should be like this.
Step 6. With the second white column place it diagonally over the first. When you are happy with the placement mark out a diamond with a pencil and ruler. (This will be a guide of where you are going to cut and place it back).
This step is vital because we need to reduce bulk here. If we simply place it over the top, the end result becomes unsightly with too many paper layers. The pencil marks will not be seen in the end result.
Step 7. Using your guide marks on the second column, cut the middle piece out and place the remainder back onto the flag. Glue with Pritt Stick glue once you are happy with the placement.
Step 8. Place the cross over the top and glue this into place with Pritt Stick glue and let it dry.
Step 9. If you turn over your flag you will see the excess. Using the blue as a guide, cut off this excess. You will now have a lovely Union Jack flag ready to go on your toilet roll holder!
Step 10. Next glue your flag onto the toilet roll holder. Make sure to glue from the middle outwards and gently press outwards with your fingers. This stops creasing on the flag.
Step 11. Once dry, use a hole punch to make two holes on each side at the top. This is where the ribbon handle will be tied onto.
Step 12. Cut a piece of 40cm ribbon in red or blue for the handle and tie it through both holes.
Step 13. Then cut 12 pieces of ribbon about 40cm in length: 4 blue, 4 red and 4 white. Brush PVA glue on the inside of the rim of the toilet roll holder and then place the 12 ribbons evenly spaced on the glue. Hang the windsock to let it dry.
*Tip* I found it easier to glue on half of the ribbons first and once dry, glue on the second lot of ribbons.
And there you have it, your beautiful Union Jack ribbon windsocks are ready!
Hang them from a tree branch, pergola, or along a length of rope where they can dance in the breeze. Even with the lightest wind, the ribbons will move gracefully, catching the sunlight and adding a touch of British charm to your celebration.
Whether it’s for a coronation, a royal street party, or simply to show your love for the UK, these handmade windsocks will brighten up any event and you can feel good knowing they were made from recycled materials too!
I’d love to see your Union Jack windsocks! Do share your photos on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me so I can admire your creations!
Happy Union Jack windsock crafting!
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