My admiration for Betsy Ross.

As a child, I learned that Betsy Ross was responsible for the creation of

the American flag.  Although scholars say that may not be true, I thought of Betsy as I decided to sew my own flag.  When we purchased our house, the barn door didn't work.  As the 4th of July approached, we thought that the door opening on the barn was the perfect spot to fly the American flag.  It needed to be quite large, so I set off to the fabric store to buy some red, white and blue cotton.

Although I wasn't planning on sewing the flag by hand, I wanted it to have a bit of a hand made look.  I cut my star template out of cardboard and proceeded to trace and cut fifty stars out of the white cotton.  I then cut the blue piece and the pieces for the stripes.  Prior to assembling the flag I stitched the stars onto the blue.  This is where Betsy Ross came to mind.  Although she was stitching only thirteen stars, I though about the time and effort she put into her flag.  I wondered; what was she thinking at the time?  She couldn't possibly have known that she would become an American icon; could she?  Could she have imagined how the flag would evolve over time; ultimately incorporating all fifty states?

I had also recently purchased a retro Singer sewing machine, released several years earlier by Singer.  It just seemed like the appropriate machine to use.  If my grandmother's machine was in working order, I would have used hers.  Once the stars and stripes were assembled, I added a backing to give it some weight.  After a careful pressing, it was ready to hang.

Being careful not to let it touch the ground, we hung it in the doorway.  The new flag certainly gave the old barn a look of stature and importance!  We keep the flag lit at night and it's a beautiful sight.  Click here for more information about the American flag. 

Happy 4th of July from the Old Granite Step!