Appliqué has long been touted as the original form of flag making. Each piece is stitched together by machine and then cut out by hand with a tiny pair of scissors. One Appliqué flag can take days to complete. Once the art is approved, the design is drawn out to actual size and each piece is cut out of paper. Then each piece of paper is traced on to it’s corresponding coloured fabric. We use vat dyed nylon for Appliqué because the hues are really intense which make the design pop. Stitching the pieces together is where it gets tricky and each design has it’s own set of challenges before it’s complete.
At Flags Unlimited, we have an amazing Appliqué department. Working away in their own corner of the production floor, they create these outstanding works of art. Typically Appliqué flags are ceremonial so it is not uncommon to see crests being put together. But whatever the intended purpose, the amount of work that goes into them is incredible. Recently, there have been two intricate designs go through. The first for Windsor Fire and Emergency Services and the second for Canadian Hydrographic Service. Anyone who has been out to see either of these flags as works in progress, knows how long Carol Ann (pictured below) and Maria, our Appliqué team, have been working on them. As always, they look beautiful.
So next time you need to have a flag made, consider Appliqué. Superior in quality, rich in history, handmade in Canada. You won’t be disappointed!
