ARTWORK, APPLIQUE, & AMERICANA

With the help of our friend and creative collaborator, Larry Pirnie, we took an abstract approach to this year’s iteration of Old Glory.

“Americana is about as inherent to DDR as leather or embroidery or anything else!” Cheryl laughed. “Some years it’s more pervasive than others – Willie’s Picnic comes to mind – but it would really feel like something was missing if we didn’t design a flag tee every summer. We’ve gotta have a flag for Fourth of July and Memorial Day and all the fun holidays we have ahead of us. This one happens to be really cool and commemorative of our collaboration with Larry.”

The tee itself is a classic two-tone retro top, with red ¾ sleeves contrasting a white torso, like an old school baseball tee. It’s emblazoned with the words Buckaroo Feed & Seed, which itself is a nod to Larry Pirnie.

“Oh, ‘buckaroo’ is a genuine part of Larry’s vernacular,” Cheryl said. “It’s a term of endearment, it shows up in some of the titles of his artwork, it’s just a natural fit for this collection.”

The flag is an outside-the-box artistic interpretation of the stars and stripes, featuring an image of Larry’s artwork (a group of colorful cowboys, seen from the back) as the star field, embellished with beadwork cross “stars”. The stripes are abstract strips overlaid on a red background, creating a dimensional applique alternating pattern, finished with whipstitch accents. Oh, and it’s trimmed with a slight ruffle to the hem – what’s known in the biz as a ‘lettuce edge’ – which gives it an unexpected element of femininity. It’s an all-around easy-to-love bit of Americana, and it might even be a favorite for one sister in particular.

“I love the way it’s all pieced together, like you just kept adding stuff and it became a flag,” Hedy said. “This could be one of the best flag tees we’ve ever done!”