Flag Update ~ Last Week of Stitching!

On my trek up to Baltimore this weekend, here is how I found the flag.  We're sewing the three large sections together!

These ladies were sewing the completed Blue Canton with the stars on it to the short section of stripes.

 Each seam was getting several rows of stitches to make sure the seams are reinforced.

Cathy and I spent our time turning up and stitching on the hem that runs along the Fly end of the long stripes.  Since the Fly end of the flag is the one that really gets flapped in the wind, after turning the raw edge up about an inch, and turning it over again, we stitched close to the fold, then went back and ran a row of stitching close to the outside folded edge.  Other stitchers will go back and stitch three more rows on the hem to really reinforce it.

It's never dull when we go up to the project, along with several park rangers we were visited by our resident Mary Pickersgill and Dr. Beanes :)  Mary is our own Katie Bopp who has been a very active stitcher on the project and always willing to stop and help visitors learn a little about the history, and help them put a few stitches in the flag.  And I really don't know who the guy was who portrayed Dr. Beanes...

...But he was a very important part of the history of our Star Spangled Banner.  Dr. Beanes was a prominent resident of Upper Marlboro during the War of 1812, who was captured by the British after they had taken and burned Washington DC and they took him onboard they're ship out on the Chesapeake Bay as a prisoner of war.  If Francis Scott Key, a well known lawyer in the area wasn't tasked to go out and negotiate Dr. Beanes' release, then our national anthem wouldn't have been written when the two watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry from the ship.  ~ I think it's so interesting how seemingly small events affect the course of history :)

Anyway, the flag is coming along, and after I had left on Saturday, Mimi Dietrich sent me this photo of the Blue Canton completely attached to the short stripes by the end of the day, and the long stripes had been clipped on and the 42 foot seam was ready to be stitched!

**As of today the long seam is stitched!  You can go over to Mimi's Blog and see the progress and photos through today!  All is coming together and we're looking toward the big finish by the 22nd :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn