Spring has passed and it’s time to start thinking of summer. Each season it’s fun to decorate your porch with touches that remind you of the upcoming season. Make these patriotic crafts to decorate your summer porch.

One of my favorite ways to decorate my garden porch in summer is with patriotic colors. Red, white, and blue just screams summer. And while the summer of Covid will not look like our normal summer, you can still make your porch sparkle for the 4th of July celebration.

I’ve been spending many hours this spring working in the garden and working from home. I needed a fun distraction. So I scoured my craft supplies to create a few red, white, and blue decorations for my porch.

You can use these crafts to decorate your summer porch, garden shed, or even your home. Although I’m using red, white, and blue, you could choose any colors you like to make these fun and easy decorations.

This post includes affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase, I can make a small commission. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

Supply List:

• Wreath frame
• Patriotic fabric
• Mini-light strands
• Decorative paper
• Straws
• Wooden skewers
• Ball jars
• Chalk paint
• Matte spray sealer

Patriotic Crafts To Decorate Your Summer Porch

Fabric Wreath

The first thing I made was a red, white, and blue fabric wreath for my porch door. All you need to create this festive wreath is a wireframe and various strips of fabric. Tie the strips around your wireframe making sure to balance out the different colors as you go. The more strips you tie on, the fuller your wreath.

I used about 100 10-inch strips and a 15-inch wreath frame to make my festive wreath. Depending on the size of your frame, you might need more or fewer strips. I had about 6 different fabrics to give it variety but there’s no rule here. You could make your wreath all the same fabric for a monochromatic look if you desired.

Vintage Napkin Garland

I have a sweet little garland made of vintage hankies given to me by a friend. As I was going through my fabric supplies I realized that I have a bunch of vintage napkins that are similar in size to handkerchiefs. Napkins are easier to come by then hankies so I thought they could become a simple decorative garland.

My vintage napkins were all whites and creams, some with lacy trims and cutouts. Since I was just using what I had, I left them plain but to make them more patriotic you could add some trims to the edges to up the red, white, and blue factor. However, this is not necessary especially if you have colorful or decorative napkins.

To create this delightful garland, just cut square napkins diagonally to form 2 triangle shapes. Your napkins will all need to be similar sizes. Add various trims to the sides of your triangles as desired. Fold over the cut edge and iron it flat. To prevent the edge from fraying you could machine or hand sew the edge. Finally, tack the side points together to form a long strand of triangles. Perfect for hanging under the porch eves.

If you’re improvising with what you have, you could certainly create this garland with fabric squares cut into triangles. The fabrics I used for my wreath would look very patriotic strung along the porch.

Related: How to Make a No Sew Oilcloth Bunting For Your Garden

Decorated Light Strand

This is one of the simplest ways to dress up your decor. All you need is a mini-light strand and some fabric strips to dress up your windows with a little seasonal bling. I have several of these that I use throughout my home to add a little sparkle.

After Christmas each year I stock up on mini-light strands to use in my decor. You can purchase them anytime, but I use so many of them throughout the year that it’s nice to have extras on hand. And they are usually on sale after the holiday season.

All you do for this craft is tie 8-10 inch strips between the lights on your strand. Alternate fabric just like on your wreath. I saved extra strips when I made the wreath so they would match. You can also use wide ribbon pieces along with the fabric.

Red, White and Blue Pinwheels

Pinwheels are so easy to make and they always remind me of childhood. They make perfect decorations for your outdoor table. You can stick them in your flower pots or in your flower vases. You could even make a whole pinwheel bouquet.

Here is a simple tutorial on how to make paper pinwheels. My only suggestion for your pinwheels is to consider where you will be using them. If you plan to place them in a bouquet or in a potted plant, you’ll want the stem to be able to withstand water.

For my pinwheels, I used wooden skewers for the backing rather than straws. Plastic straws would also work in place of paper straws. However, it is getting a little more difficult to find plastic straws these days. Another option would be pencils. Although they are shorter they can certainly be used in place of the skewers or straws.

The biggest problem I had in making my pinwheels is that I did not have any brads available. Pushpins make a good alternative but double-sided craft paper can be a little stiff. So I used floral wire for the center of some of my pinwheels. Then I hot glued buttons on top to hide the wire. Improvising is the name of the game when you’re using what you have rather than running to the craft store.

Painted Mason Jars

Mason jars are the perfect container for so many things. I use them throughout my home and garden. They are so easy to coordinate with your decor by painting them to match. My favorite color however is white. Fill the jar with red and blue flowers for a perfect patriotic combination.

I used chalk paint for my quart-size jars. Simply paint several coats of chalk paint on the outside of your jars allowing to dry between coats. Then use sandpaper to lightly sand the raised edges such as the label and any designs on the jar. Finish with a coating or two of matte spray sealer to add a protective coating. These painted jars can last for many years of bouquets.

All five of these crafts were made from my stash of fabric, paper, and paint. I have a tendency to store things to use later and then I never get around to using them. So this was the perfect opportunity to use up some of my supplies and refresh my porch at the same time.

Since we’re spending more time at home and less time shopping at our favorite thrift stores, yard sales, and craft stores, this is the perfect year to just get creative with what you have. Dig through the boxes stored in your shed, garage, and attic to find some older fabric. Look through your craft supplies and the craft room closet and find some of the things you’ve “stored”. It’s time to clear them out and use your stored stuff.

Now that summer’s here, use your stash to create some simple porch decor items. These five crafts are perfect to decorate your summer porch. Even just one new item such as a wreath or garland can help your porch feel brand new. Add in red, white and blue and you have the makings of a celebration!