[Josey]

Okay, here you go Robin. Here are a few pics of my "Gold Star Flag".

This flag has 48 gold stars on one side and 48 white stars on the other side.

[Josey]

OOps! I posted the 2nd pic twice. Here is the 3rd pic I wanted to share.

[Robin Hickman]

.

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL ! ! !


Robin

.

[Robin Hickman]

.
Hi, Josey !


Those are some really GREAT pictures !


I'm no "expert" about these things, but it looks to me that the sewing on the appliqued Stars was professionally done using a machine. The stitches are so even and precise!

We DO have some resident experts and it will be interesting to see what they might have to say about your "Gold Star" Flag!

HEY, NICK !!!
HEY, PETER !!!

Waddaya THINK ???


Robin Hickman
Eugene, Oregon, USA
.

[NAVA1974]

Josey,
I concur- excellent photo documentation. They are clear enough to show the difference in how the stars were made. The "gold" stars were die-stamped from sized cotton material so they have sharp points and crisp corners. The white stars on the other side have rounded interior angles. This is because the die cut stars were glued onto the front of the canton, and a plain sheet of cotton was placed on the back side. Then the stars on the front were sewn to the blue canton and white backing sheet. Finally, the non-star area of the white sheet on the back was cut away leaving 48 white stars sewn perfectly opposite the stars on the front. (This information came from Bill Spangler, late president of the Dettra Flag Company who gave me a spectacular tour of their plant about 20 years ago.)

I still maintain that the stars on front aged differently than the stars on the back because the cotton was not prepared the same way - the sizing of the die-cut stars caused them to discolor to "gold" while stars on the back that were once part of the plain white sheet of cotton bunting did not discolor.

I admit there are some "golden star flags" that have only some of the stars on one side that are gold. I can only assume that the die cut stars came from different batches that were chemically treated differently.

Nick

[Josey]

Nick,

Thank you for the information on how the stars are sewn on. I did not know that.

I do have a question. If the material for the "gold" stars was sized to stiffen them up (which I agree with since it makes perfect sense) would it then be possible for the sizing to leach against the other materials on the flag?

The reason I ask is, when I received this flag it was not folded properly and apparently not stored in the best of conditions either. Where the "gold" stars made contact with the stripes it dis-colored them with the stars pattern. I had just assumed the dye had leached.

Josey

On another note. To everyone, this is a great web site and forum for learning about our flag. By searching here I have found out information about my staggered 48 star flag and hope to find out about my 48 star Navy/Marine issue flag. If I don't turn up an information by searching here. I will post some photos and pick your brains.

[csaanv]

Josey, Please go ahead and post your photos anyway. We will all enjoy them.

[Peter Ansoff]

HEY, NICK !!!
HEY, PETER !!!

Waddaya THINK ???

I have no expertise when it comes to materials and manufacturing techniques, and I bow to Nick's. However, I do have a question about the information in one of Josey's earlier posts:

The U.S. contracted with european tailors and seamstresses to make the flags that they knew would be needed. It was wrongly assumed through bad or mis-communication that these flags would have gold stars on them because of thier knowledge of Gold Star Mothers. . . The U.S. caught the mistake early in production but opted to use the flags with the gold stars anyway because of the short supply.

Josey, do you recall what the source(s) were for this information? We have seen several similar explanations in this and other threads, but so far nobody has identified any actual references. To be honest, this story sounds a bit improbable, especially the idea the European seamstresses would be familar with the Gold Star flag program.

One has to be open minded, of course. However, until we can identify actual sources for the fact that flags really were manufactured with gold stars, I'm more inclined to credit Nick's position that the "gold" is the result of discoloration. Other explanations sound more like post hoc speculation to me.

Peter Ansoff

[Josey]

Josey, do you recall what the source(s) were for this information? We have seen several similar explanations in this and other threads, but so far nobody has identified any actual references. To be honest, this story sounds a bit improbable, especially the idea the European seamstresses would be familar with the Gold Star flag program.

Peter,
I found the information a year or two ago via the internet. A fellow had one of these flags where the gold stars alternated with the white ones. And the information he had seemed plausible at the time. No proof, just what he stated. Now, after conversing with you folks here I am starting to have my doubts that these flags were made like this from the start and that they have indeed just aged differently over time.

In one of my previous posts I asked about the gold color leaching on to the stripes from being folded the way it was for years before I took possession of it. Do you think this could have been caused by the sizing placed on those particular stars and as they turned color whatever was against them turned as well?

Josey

[Robin Hickman]

.
Sizing turning white cotton stars a "gold" (tan or dark cream) color over time and then bleeding some of their "color" (surface sizing) onto adjoining fabric folded up against them for a l-o-n-g time ???


Hmmmm.....


My first un-educated guess would be that it was NOT the heat, but the HUMIDITY.

It's just a guess, and an uneducated one at that.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it !!!



Robin
.