WTC Quiltstitched with care since 2001

Memorial quilting

Free American flag cross-stitch chart

A simple, free American flag chart, 74 by 39 stitches, for memorial squares and Fourth of July pieces. It’s ours to share, so print it and pass it on. Please don’t sell it.

Cross-stitch chart of the American flag: 13 red and white stripes and a blue field with 50 white stars, on a 74 by 39 grid
Click the chart to open it full size for printing. Heavy grid lines mark every 10 stitches.

Key

Red: DMC 321White: DMC BlancBlue: DMC 796*Star: one white cross stitch

Finished size

FabricDesign sizeBare minimumWith a 3-inch border
11-count Aida6.7 × 3.5 in12 × 9 in13 × 10 in
14-count Aida5.3 × 2.8 in11 × 8 in12 × 9 in
18-count Aida4.1 × 2.2 in10 × 8 in11 × 9 in
28-count evenweave, over two5.3 × 2.8 in11 × 8 in12 × 9 in

The bare minimum leaves about 2.5 to 3 inches around the design. DMC recommends a clear 3-inch border on every side, as does our memorial square guide, so cut to the last column if you can, and follow your project organizer’s size if it differs.

Stitching tips

A quilted square with a stitched American flag, framed in navy sashing with red cornerstones
  • Use two strands of floss on 14-count, three on 11-count and one or two on 18-count.
  • Stitch the blue field first, leaving the star stitches empty, then fill the stars in white so they sit cleanly in the blue.
  • Work the stripes in long rows, half stitches out and back, so every top stitch slants the same way.
  • To make it a remembrance piece, add a date or a name below the flag in backstitch.

New to charts? Our guide to reading a cross-stitch chart walks through this one. Using it for a group memorial quilt? Read our guide to stitching a memorial square.

From a stitched flag to a quilt

A finished flag square can sit in a frame, or it can become part of something bigger. The 9-11 Memorial Quilt Project joined hundreds of squares like this one into five large quilts. To set a stitched square into a quilt of your own, our memorial quilt guide covers sizes and assembly, and a quilt label keeps the story with it. If you'd rather piece a flag than stitch one, try the American flag quilt pattern or the patriotic star throw, and read how Quilts of Valor carries the tradition on for veterans.