"The flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
-Act of Congress adopted on June 14, 1777
"We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty." -George Washington
Persistent legend credits Betsy Ross with having sewn the first flag to meet the specifications outlined by Congress. It further credits her with changing the stars from six points to five to speed her work. Although several theories exist, according to the American Flag Research Centre in Massachusetts, the heraldic origin of the American flag is not positively known & no records confirm who designed the original "Stars and Stripes." We do know, however, that Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752, the daughter of a Quaker carpenter named Samuel Griscom. In 1773, she eloped with an upholsterer named John Ross. Sadly, her husband was killed soon afterward & Betsy Ross promptly became a widow struggling to run her own business. In colonial America, upholsterers did not limit themselves to work on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. In fact, Betsy was commissioned to sew flags for Navy vessels by the State Navy Board of Pennsylvania on May 29, 1777. However, according to Betsy, in late May of 1776, General George Washington, her acquaintance & fellow worshipper at the Christ Church in Philadelphia, paid a visit to her home. Robert Morris, an owner of vast amounts of land and likely the wealthiest citizen in the colonies & Colonel George Ross, a respected Philadelphian who was her deceased husband's uncle, accompanied him. She relates that these three comprised a secret committee from the Continental Congress who showed her a rough design of the flag that included a six-pointed star. Although no proof has been found that this incident actually happened, Betsy purportedly demonstrated how to cut a five-pointed star in a single snip & so impressed the 3-man committee with her scissor wizardry that they entrusted her with making our first flag.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
-Act of Congress adopted on June 14, 1777
"We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty." -George Washington
Persistent legend credits Betsy Ross with having sewn the first flag to meet the specifications outlined by Congress. It further credits her with changing the stars from six points to five to speed her work. Although several theories exist, according to the American Flag Research Centre in Massachusetts, the heraldic origin of the American flag is not positively known & no records confirm who designed the original "Stars and Stripes." We do know, however, that Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752, the daughter of a Quaker carpenter named Samuel Griscom. In 1773, she eloped with an upholsterer named John Ross. Sadly, her husband was killed soon afterward & Betsy Ross promptly became a widow struggling to run her own business. In colonial America, upholsterers did not limit themselves to work on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. In fact, Betsy was commissioned to sew flags for Navy vessels by the State Navy Board of Pennsylvania on May 29, 1777. However, according to Betsy, in late May of 1776, General George Washington, her acquaintance & fellow worshipper at the Christ Church in Philadelphia, paid a visit to her home. Robert Morris, an owner of vast amounts of land and likely the wealthiest citizen in the colonies & Colonel George Ross, a respected Philadelphian who was her deceased husband's uncle, accompanied him. She relates that these three comprised a secret committee from the Continental Congress who showed her a rough design of the flag that included a six-pointed star. Although no proof has been found that this incident actually happened, Betsy purportedly demonstrated how to cut a five-pointed star in a single snip & so impressed the 3-man committee with her scissor wizardry that they entrusted her with making our first flag.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
