How to Make an American Flag Rhinestone Patch

This American flag rhinestone patch is such a cool way to show your love for your country and the flag, and it's surprisingly simple to make!

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Yield: rhinestone patch

Author: Debbie Chapman

Cost: $2

Cut a rectangular piece of felt (or fabric) for the base of your patch.
Ours is roughly 3-3/8 inches across by 2-1/4 inches tall.

Begin by placing small dots of glue along the bottom of your fabric, 1 dot for each rhinestone. You can do the whole row at once, or do just a few at a time.
For this rhinestone pattern we find it best to start with the bottom row, since it's made up of one color all the way across.
Use your wax pencil to pick up a red rhinestone and place it on your first dot of glue at the bottom right.
If you're going to sew your patch onto your jacket, place the rhinestone a millimeter away from each edge.
Continue adding red rhinestones into the line of glue, until you reach the other side. Try to keep the line as straight as possible.
We added 21 red rhinestones into this first row.

Add glue for your next row of rhinestones.
For this row, place the glue dots above and between the rhinestones from the first row, so that the rhinestones will be staggered.
Place your clear rhinestones into the glue, working your way across the row. Nestle the rhinestones in as close as you can.
We used 20 clear rhinestones for this row.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you're roughly half way up the patch. (We did 4 rows of each color.)
Remember to stagger the rows, with the rows of red rhinestones closer to the edge.
Then add another half row of 11 red rhinestones to the right side.
Finish the row using 10 blue rhinestones.
Make a half row of 11 clear rhinestones above the red.
Then, for the second half of the row, alternate between blue and clear stones.
The white stones here represent the stars on the flag. Make sure you start and end each half row of this section with a blue rhinestone.
Repeat, alternating between the half rows.
When you use red rhinestones for the first half, end with a full half row of blue. When you do a clear half line, alternate between blue and clear for the other half.
Make 17 rows total, ending on a solid red and blue row.
Then allow to dry for about 24 hours. The exact time needed will depend on the glue you're using.

To sew your flag patch onto a jacket or other item, follow the instructions below. You can also use fabric glue.
Or, if you'd like to iron your patch on, keep reading below the tutorial for instructions.
Start by placing your patch where you'd like it to sit on your jacket or other clothing item.
Sew around the outside of the patch using a running stitch.
Once you've sewn all the way around the patch, tie off the thread in a double knot on the inside of the jacket. Cut off the excess thread.
Your American flag rhinestone patch is complete!

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