Commodore Swab Posted June 20, 2009 Posted June 20, 2009 If a flag is made would it cost much more to have several made so that some of us might be able to have our own?
Tartan Jack Posted June 20, 2009 Posted June 20, 2009 If a flag is made would it cost much more to have several made so that some of us might be able to have our own? Much depends on how it is made. If by hand, each should cost roughly the same. (At least from what I've seen.) If created my someone like Atlas Flags in Atlanta (well, the Tucker suburb) makes embroidered, appliqued, or printed ones, the cost is cheaper with volume. (Though, that route is less authentic than handsewn.) -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina
William Brand Posted November 1, 2009 Author Posted November 1, 2009 Despite the obvious setbacks of not attending PIP this year, I will be fulfilling the promise of making the Mercury flag, or more to the point, Tracy has agreed to make it by hand. All praise Tracy. I also spoke with Fayma earlier today and made the necessary plans to ship the flag and other things to her. She'll see that it gets to the right people, so prepare to serve under the dark jack of the Mercury.
madPete Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 Despite the obvious setbacks of not attending PIP this year, I will be fulfilling the promise of making the Mercury flag, or more to the point, Tracy has agreed to make it by hand. All praise Tracy. I also spoke with Fayma earlier today and made the necessary plans to ship the flag and other things to her. She'll see that it gets to the right people, so prepare to serve under the dark jack of the Mercury. We'll be a proud band serving under that flag William... I was looking forw'd to meetin ya Scallywag. Thanks to you and Tracy for the hard work, even though ya have no obligation. We'll set aside a share of the booty fer ya! madPete Aye... Plunder Awaits!
Captain Jim Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 All hail Tracy! Huzzah! My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...
Red Cat Jenny Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 Whoo Tracy ...Flag goddess!!! Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.... Her reputation was her livelihood. I'm a pirate, love. By nature and by choice! My inner voice sometimes has an accent! My wont? A delicious rip in time...
MarkG Posted November 2, 2009 Posted November 2, 2009 Despite the obvious setbacks of not attending PIP this year, I will be fulfilling the promise of making the Mercury flag, or more to the point, Tracy has agreed to make it by hand. All praise Tracy. I also spoke with Fayma earlier today and made the necessary plans to ship the flag and other things to her. She'll see that it gets to the right people, so prepare to serve under the dark jack of the Mercury. This is a little off-topic but this flag reminds me of New England tombstones. Many of these featured a flying deaths-head. The book In Small Things Forgotten has great chapter on the evolution of these death's heads through multiple generations of headstone carvers. Here's a typical tombstone from 1680. Mark
William Brand Posted November 2, 2009 Author Posted November 2, 2009 You are not wrong to think it similar at all, Mark. I drew on many period representations, including tombstones. Well, especially tombstones really, what with the macabre undertones and threatening nature of death and mortality.
j8ksdad Posted November 4, 2009 Posted November 4, 2009 With QM Red Wake's permission, I will be showing the Mercury colors on my iphone. I just orderd a custom "skin" for the back... Fair Winds, j8ksdad (Jake's dad) I'll eat when I'm hungry. I'll drink when I'm dry. If the hard times don't kill me I'll lay down and die. Rye whiskey! Rye whiskey! Rye whiskey I cry. If you don't give me rye whiskey, I surely will die.
William Brand Posted November 4, 2009 Author Posted November 4, 2009 sniff. It's beautiful. And on that note you should all know that Tracy has purchased the black wool and a heavy, natural linen to begin the flag. It will be roughly ten feet by seven feet.
William Brand Posted November 10, 2009 Author Posted November 10, 2009 All of the material for the flag arrived and Tracy has begun to sew the flag. To prepare for the individual pieces of the flag I had to create a pattern using 19 sheets of 11 x 17 and then tape them together. I could have used the overhead projector, but using a pattern seemed more appropriate. I photographed it using Liam for scale.
Silkie McDonough Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Can't wait to see it, I know Tracy is excited too ...and you ...Mercury crew ...be respectful of the ladies work when flying that thing, never abuse it and NEVER let the enemy capture it! Sorry Sterling, I don't play favorites.
Capt. Sterling Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Right then, forget about the flag for just one minute... is that Liam? He's gotten so big and what a fine, good looking fellow indeed....ahem.. must take after his mother... "I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers Crewe of the Archangel http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel# http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/
Captain Jim Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Aye, an' 'e seems to have stolen his father's hat...good little pyrate. Next Tracy will come home and find William tied to a tree... My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...
William Brand Posted November 10, 2009 Author Posted November 10, 2009 Yes he does take after Tracy and I don't mind saying so. Liam was sitting in her lap just yesterday and I noted to myself how much he looks like her in profile, not to mention that his eyes are more like hers. You have to have seen her eyes up close to know just how lucky Liam will be as he grows up. Girls are going to love his eyes. He looks good in my hat and he has my smile.
Capt. Sterling Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Next Tracy will come home and find William tied to a tree... no, no, no... then Liam would have to be a pyrate hunter...and if he takes after his father, that will never happen... right then back on track... "I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers Crewe of the Archangel http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel# http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/
William Brand Posted May 22, 2010 Author Posted May 22, 2010 That's Tracy in the shot for scale. It's just that big. It looks a little skewed because it's draped over two couches, a chair and a card table.
Silkie McDonough Posted May 22, 2010 Posted May 22, 2010 Wow, Hope you can find a sturdy mast for that thing!
oderlesseye Posted May 23, 2010 Posted May 23, 2010 Eye will be proud to stand under this flag! http://www.myspace.com/oderlesseyehttp://www.facebook....esseye?ref=nameHangin at Execution dock awaits. May yer Life be a long and joyous adventure in gettin there!As he was about to face the gallows there, the pirate is said to have tossed a sheaf of papers into the crowd, taunting his audience with these final words: "My treasure to he who can understand."
Silkie McDonough Posted May 23, 2010 Posted May 23, 2010 Eye will be proud to stand under this flag! You and about 30 or 40 others on the crew ...and that is a lot of shade.
Captain McCool Posted May 23, 2010 Posted May 23, 2010 Beautiful! So as far as construction, did you trace the pattern onto pieces of fabric, then sew around it, and cut off the excess when they've been sewn down? Captain Jack McCool, landlocked pirate extraordinaire, Captain of the dreaded prairie schooner Ill Repute, etc. etc. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel, and a hull, and a deck, and sails. That’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom." -Captain Jack Sparrow
William Brand Posted May 23, 2010 Author Posted May 23, 2010 The black background is all wool in two pieces sewn together. Tracy combined the two widths with a French seam down the middle. It all but disappears even under the best of lighting. The natural linen that makes up the bones and wings was traced using the huge printed paper pattern. The pattern was pinned to the linen and Tracy cut out each piece with a 1/4 inch boarder. This border is tucked under and stitched down. No rough finished edges at all. The left edge of the flag has a piece of inch wide webbing sewn inside the wool to add strength to the grommets to be sewn in at the last.
madPete Posted May 24, 2010 Posted May 24, 2010 Shrek... "Do you think he's maybe compensating for something?" Seriously, that is one monstrous flag - Fantastic job! Hope to see it flying at PIP this year as well ... (er, the flag that is) Aye... Plunder Awaits!
Tartan Jack Posted May 24, 2010 Posted May 24, 2010 For those who don't know . . . Flags of the period were HUGE. For an ships ensign, that would actually be quite small. Most were more like 20-30 feet long. For larger ships, even bigger. In the film Master and Commmander, look at the size of the flag on the French ship. That is pretty typical of the period, not as over-sized as many think. In reality, 3x5 is tiny for a ship flag and wouldn't hardly be visible at any distance. Signal flags were about 9x9 and they were supposed to be strung up in "chains" (several at a time on one length) to convey a message. The Nationals were much, much larger. Take a look at this thread on ensign (main national flag on a ship) size: https://pyracy.com/index.php?showtopic=10853 William, It looks good! I like. How big did it end up? 2 double widths would make it about 10' at the hoist and how long? -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina
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