Three FDNY Firemen Raise the American
Flag in the World Trade Center Rubble.

Photographed by Thomas E. Franklin
on September 11, 2001.

Photograph ©2001 The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).
Photo Credit: Thomas E. Franklin, Staff Photographer

This image captures the spirit of September 11th.  I wanted to make it for my September 11th rememberence quilt.  Below is the pattern and information if you'd like to make the block for yourself.

Step One:  Create the background for the firemen.   I searched for a photograph that would be a fitting background.  This is the photograph I selected:

Click here for a larger version of this picture

I liked the variation of color in the sky and the skeleton of the towers in the background.  I printed this photograph onto a piece of fabric that had been soaked in "Bubble Jet Set" and ironed onto freezer paper.  Once the image was printed, I washed it to remove any extra ink.  I set the printout to "landscape" mode, so the image filled most of my 8 1/2 x 11 piece of fabric.

The photograph shows the men standing on a pile of rubble, so I pieced gray fabric to the bottom to represent this "pile".  The final background for the block measured 10 1/2 x 10 1/2" square.  I pieced the fabric with a curved seam.  See the pattern for the line between the background and the ground.

Step 2:  I drew a pattern using the figures in the original photo as a guide.  Click here for the pattern.

The appliqué on my block was done with fusible interfacing.  If you choose to use this method too, remember to reverse the image.  Once the pieces were fused in place, I used two strands of embroidery floss and buttonhole stitched around each piece, matching the thread color to the fabric.  The flag was fussy cut from some patriotic fabric and the ropes are embroidered on using a backstitch.

We will never forget.