The techniques of flag and banner manufacture have evolved over the years, from their original creation, probably in the Chinese Zhao dynasty in about 1050 B.C. Britannica.com has a wonderfully thorough history of flags.
The technology of flagmaking has evolved over the many centuries since, from a labour intensive process of embroidery and hand stitching to today’s more efficient digital technologies. Canadiana Flag is the forefront of developing that technology as the only Canadian flag manufacturer to have an in-house lab to test and new fabrics, inks, stitching and other elements involved in the flag making process.
If you’ve read our blog post on the history of the Canada flag—and if you haven’t, you can find it here —you’ll know that, well into the 20th Century, flag making was very much a hands-on endeavour. Flags were embroidered or stitched together from hand-cut elements. This is called the appliqué process; a flag making tradition that Canadiana Flag proudly carries on to this day. Its construction ensures a more solemn drape. They are less likely to fly in the wind, but their somber weightiness makes them ideal for state occasions for indoors, creating a more ceremonial and dimensional appearance. We’ll explore the intricacies of the appliqué process in a future post as this is a favourite Canada flag for indoor displays.