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The Banner Yet Waves
Yesterday was the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Fort McHenry, and the composing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
My wife, as a master (mistress?) Quilter, was part of the team that made the official replica flag for this year’s festivities, using original materials and techniques to make a full-sized flag as close as possible to the one Francis Scott Key saw being raised on that glorious morning. The original is too beat-up to be used — it is usually housed in the Smithsonian — though the replica will hang there for a time.
So my wife woke early, took several kids, and went down to Fort McHenry to watch her flag being raised by the dawn’s early light. It is such an incredible honor to be part of such an event, for the nation we love.
Here is her version of the story:
Published in GeneralI have been a quilter for over 20 years, and am a member of my local guild, as well as local groups that meet regularly to share our work. But until July 2013, I had never had the pleasure of working in a quilting circle, where we all come together to work on a single project. But when I did – what a pleasure it was!
I live in Baltimore, which is famous for The Wire, crabs, and the birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner, which was written by Francis Scott Key during the war of 1812. Key wrote his now famous poem while on a ship in the middle of Baltimore Harbor, after the battle of Fort McHenry. He wrote it as he waited for dawn to see if the American flag was still flying over the Fort after the night’s battle.
The specific flag in question had been commissioned by Major Armistead from Mary Pickersgill, a Baltimore local and flagmaker and seamstress. Armistead wanted an enormous battle flag, thirty by forty-two feet, one that would strike fear in the hearts of the British. The original flag is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and shows signs of its age – it is worn thin, and numerous pieces were cut away over the years for souvenirs. This was the flag that I remembered seeing as a child when we visited the museum – the flag is enormous and faced the entrance as the central symbol of American pride.
In honor of the 200th anniversary, folks at the Maryland Historical Society decided that it would be a great project to re-create the flag with its 15 stripes and 15 stars, from historically accurate materials. The goal was to create the flag during the same six-week period as the original, 199 years earlier. To find expert stitchers, they approached the local quilting guilds. When I heard about this project I was excited I signed-up immediately, as it combined my two great loves: history and quilting!
And for much of July and August 2013, I could be found at the Maryland Historical Society, working on the flag. The wool bunting was specially loomed in Pennsylvania. Keeping it historically accurate meant that the fabric was extremely-loosely woven. We used cotton for the white stars, and cotton thread to stitch it all together. It was an exciting but difficult job. For one thing, hand quilters usually pride ourselves on our tiny stitches (10 – 12 stitches per inch is the norm) but — with this material its task of holding together in strong winds — we quickly discovered that the tiny stitches we were used to using would just pull out. With trial and error we learned what was needed to make it hold together. Because there were 200 stitchers involved, each of us was only allowed to sew 10 feet of the stripes and — if you were an appliquer — as I am, half of one of the stars. I did my minimum, but kept coming to help as needed.
There were “open days” when members of the public could come and put in a stitch, as well as museum visitors who stopped by to visit the Historical Society. I brought my daughter and two of my sons to come and put stitches in, as well as my sister-in-law when she came for a visit. We called it “Stitching History,” and we were! We were aware the whole time of the magnitude of what we were creating: a flag to replicate the original flag, stitched in the same manner, in the same amount of time, and to be flown in the same place. While I have made dozens of quilts, some of which have taken over four years to finish, nothing else I have ever made comes close to this!
This morning, September 14th, 2014, I took my three sons to the fort. By dawn’s early light — and exactly 200 years to the minute after the original — our replica was raised. We watched as the wind played with the flag, and after teasing us for a few minutes, it blew strong, stretching out so that everyone could see the 15 stripes and 15 stars. I pointed at my star, and said “that one is mine!” I saw this flag that we had made together, and saw it flying proudly over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
I can’t wait to see the photos!
I would love to see it, whenever the glitches are fixed.
We burst along with you.
Outstanding!
Woo-Hoo, iWc! I can’t wait to see pictures, either….Mazel tov!
Honor is due your wife as she is part of bringing to life a great moment in our history.
We are proud to have you all in our Ricochet family.
Never shy away from coining your own nomenclature.
May I propose “masterella”?
Indeed. I was grateful for the meetup with you before, but now I have an additional reason to feel good about it. My Mrs. iWc number is now 2 (unless I have to produce work with you, in which case I imagine the number is quite high).
Well deserved pride, what an honor and privilege.
Here is one story on it. Note the size of the flag. My wife and kids had seats on the left hand side of the picture.
Get some!
Awe-inspiring. God Bless America and your family. Your wife is a great writer, too.
Kudos, Mrs. iWc! So appreciate your efforts – and your wonderful update to the story!
Well done Mrs iWc. It looks fantastic.
This is the kind of story that gives us hope ..
Thanks–we need an uplifting story about now. Beautiful flag! I’m a quilter too. Wish I could have worked on it. Next time I see the original in the Smithsonian I’ll think of your flag.
This is such an exciting story! Thanks for sharing iWc and thanks to Mrs. iWc for you time and dedication on such a wonderful project! I visited Fort McHenry this summer for the first time and was quite moved by the ceremony and their manner of showing the flying flag. I will think of you now whenever I return or am at the Smithsonian.
I just sent you an email; send them to me and I’ll upload them for you.
A grand effort for a Grand Old Flag! Magnificent! Thank you for doing this and writing about it here!
In 1992 my family and I visited Fort McHenry on a trip out east. I vividly recall helping(as much as an eight-year-old can help with such things) to fold the gigantic flag they had there at the time.
Cool. iWc! Proud smile on the Mrs.
Glad to see the staff has remained replicated.