Every respectable pirate must fly his colors, especially on his birthday. This fun and super easy craft is a “no-sew.”

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Black standard size pillowcase
• 1/2 yard white cotton fabric
• 1/4 yard red and white stripe fabric
• 1/2 yard Heat n Bond
• 3/4 inch diameter dowel
• Gold bobble/earring
• Gold thread
• Skull template (Print to 8 1/2 x 11 sheet)
• Crossbones and skull cap tie template (Print to 8 1/2 x 11 sheet)
• Scissors
• Iron
• Glue gun

Don’t let the number of steps fool you. You’ll be done in a snap.

1. Iron all of your fabric.
2. Iron the Heat n Bond Iron on Adhesive to the back of the white fabric. (Make sure and turn the steam off on your iron or it will bubble the adhesive and fabric.)
3. Cut out the templates and trace the skull and crossbones onto the back of the white fabric, on the paper side of the Heat n Bond. (NOTE: The crossbones template is only half of the design. Use the same template for both sides and cut it as one piece.)
4. Cut out the designs in the fabric and lay it on the black pillowcase for placement.
5. Next peel the backs off the designs and iron them into place.
6. Using the top half of the skull (cut slightly larger than the top shape) on the skull template and the tie template (on the same page as the crossbones), cut a skull cap out of the red and white fabric.
7. Apply the skull cap with a glue gun. To give it a 3-dimensional appearance, pipe the glue only around the top of the skull leaving the bottom of the cap open.
8. Apply the skull cap ties by gluing them at the corner of the skull and leaving the bottom of the ties to hang loose.
9. Finish the cap with loops of gold thread (about 10 times around two fingers). Simply hot glue them where the ties and the skull cap connects. (See picture.)
10. Finally, add a little bling by hot gluing a bobble earring to the right side of the skull.
11. Now for the flag pole, turn your flag over and pipe glue along the open seam of the pillowcase. Line the pole up with the top of the fabric and lay the dowel down on the line of glue. Roll it a half turn, pipe another line of glue and roll the pole again. Repeat until the pole is completely covered.

And for those of you who learn better visually, here’s our how to video:

Happy crafting!