Show your patriotism with a beaded patriotic wall hanging. Making one can be a fun craft project for the entire family.
Making Your Own
A patriotic style beaded wall hanging or banner can be made using the following items:
- Red, white, gold and blue craft (pony) beads
- 1/8 inch wooden dowel
- Nylon monofilament
- Satin cord
- Flag or other patriotic pattern
The method for making a beaded banner using a wooden dowel and nylon monofilament is not very complicated, however, it will take a steady hand and a lot of patience.
How to Start
The first thing you will have to do is string a pre-determined amount of beads on a one yard piece of monofilament.
Next, take the wooden dowel and string the first bead through it. Then, tie off one end of the monofilament to the dowel. You will then skip threading the next bead through the dowel because you will only thread every other bead through the dowel. Make sure all the beads are pulled up tight against each other, and keep the monofilament tight.
When you reach the end of the first row, add another bead to the monofilament to start the second row. Immediately after adding the bead, string the filament through the first bead that's not on the dowel, going back the way you came. Make sure to keep everything nice and tight.
Continue stringing beads back to the first bead that you put the dowel through. Loop the filament through this bead and pull tight. Keep beading back and forth across the length of the beads on the dowel, following the pattern you have chosen to use. When you only have about three inches left on the monofilament, tie on another yard section with several secure knots and continue beading.
When your pattern is finished, glue the barrel beads onto each end of the dowel and then tie the satin cord to each end of the dowel (about two feet of cord should be enough). Trim any excess cord or monofilament as needed.
Patriotic Patterns
Once you understand the method for using pony beads to make a wall hanging, you can begin searching for patriotic patterns and kits to use, such as these:
Pony Beads
The patriotic patterns for beaded banners (wall hangings) call for pony beads. In case you've never heard of them, pony beads are plastic or glass beads, bigger than seed beads but smaller than crow beads. The beads are commonly used for crafts, hair accessories, clothing embellishments and jewelry.
White European explorers first brought these beads (made from glass) to America. Native Americans used the beads to decorate the fringe on leather clothing and moccasins, to make jewelry and decorative gear for their horses. The name pony beads came from the beads being delivered by the Pony Express.
Pony beads share an interesting, rich American heritage with the symbols in the patriotic patterns used to create the wall banners.
Buying a Handmade Beaded Patriotic Wall Hanging
If you like how these wall hangings look but you don't have the desire to make it yourself, you can look for handmade beaded wall hangings for sale online. You might find a completed banner on Etsy. The three patriotic patterns mentioned above in the second link (Patriotic USA Flag Beaded Banner) can be special ordered as completed banners by the crafter who created them. However, completed beaded wall hangings are not as easy to find as the patterns or kits.
These wall hangings make nice décor because they add texture to the wall. Even though the hanging is tedious to make, the cost for one is still affordable. A beaded patriotic wall hanging would make a great gift if you can find one to buy, or it would be an even greater gift if made by you.
