Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Flags and Quilts

Let's celebrate Flag Day!


Oh, so vintage! The flag that my maternal grandfather, Stan Bower, faithfully raised and lowered every day. 


I made Dear Old Stars and Stripes a few years ago based on a song he wrote and published in 1909. You can read about it here.


This Centennial Quilt was documented by The Heritage Quilt Project of NJ. The twelve outer flags have 13 red and white stripes and 39 stars. There are four George Washington banners in the center along with two Flags of the Nations at the top and bottom. These represent the countries which participated in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.


My paternal grandfather, Ralph Davis, proudly displayed this flag at the lake where I used to fish and swim when I was growing up.  



One of my all-time favorite books is All Flags Flying by Robert Bishop and Carter Houck. If you like patriotic quilts this is a great book to have in your library. I noticed there are still copies available on Amazon. This quilt was my inspiration when I decided to make a Quilt of Valor in 2013.


Here's my version using the flags from a panel I had purchased at the Great American Quilt Festival in NYC.


I know I've shown you this quilt before. It's called Coming Home.  

My flag is flying today, is yours?




__________
Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer


6 comments:

  1. Well, I followed the link above to your May 4, 2014, post, and got so excited by what I saw there, I forgot I had followed a link to an older post. Duh! Then I came back here, and realized that quilt was finished and shown here again today. I finished reading and seeing the beautiful quilts here also, and I have to say I'm amazed by all your gorgeous patriotic creations. Indeed all are family heirlooms! ---"Love"

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    1. Thanks so much! Loved reading your comment :)

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  2. Yes! Our flags are flying as they do every day when the weather permits. I love the quilts you shared and I love that book!

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  3. What a blessing to have the documentation of your grandfather's military record and especially his patriotic song and sheet music. Your flag quilts are wonderful and are an addition to your family's story.

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  4. Hip Hip Hooray - I always love your Patriotic posts. You have such a rich family history and I love reading about it.
    The artwork on the song cover is wonderful, especially the lettering which I always like to study.

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  5. p.s. we have a "real" flag pole at our Farm in Illinois complete with lighting at night. My FIL was a Naval Officer in WWII. Vets really know how to do it right when it comes to flag displays.

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