By Staff
PATRIOTIC SPIRIT Ruth Irwin shows off the patriotic quilt she started working on after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The quilt will be raffled off as part of a fund-raiser for Meridian-area outreach programs. Photo by Penny Randall / The Meridian Star
By Chris Allen Baker/staff writer
Feb. 1, 2002
After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Ruth Irwin decided to express her love for America by making a patriotic quilt that will be the prize in a raffle to raise money for local outreach programs.
The quilt features flags from American history, including the nation's first official flag.
Every year Irwin offers a quilt to be raffled through the Episcopal Church of the Mediator with the proceeds earmarked for local outreach programs. A drawing is scheduled for Feb. 10.
Irwin said the quilt is machine pieced and includes the flag of June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress adopted a flag of 13 stars and stripes and the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
Irwin added the flag of July 4, 1847, that was in use about 70 years into the nation's existence with 29 stars and 13 stripes. Irwin said this flag coincided with the first U.S. postage stamp issued and was included to represent those affected by the anthrax-laced mail following the attacks.
The July 4, 1851, U.S. flag is also included. It features 31 stars and 13 stripes and coincided with U.S. Sen. Henry Clay's Compromise of 1850 that admitted California into the union as a non-slave state and was a significant movement toward additional freedom in this nation.
Irwin incorporated the current U.S. flag in respect for America's presence elsewhere in the world since the attacks.
The back of the quilt includes a memory tag with the Lord's Prayer and names of members of the Mediator who serve in the armed forces.
The $1 tickets for the drawing are available by calling 483-3959 or by contacting the church.