During the American Revolutionary War, patriots made Stars and Stripes Flags all sorts of ways. There was not a "right way" because Congress never said how the stars had to be arranged. This didn't happen until President Taft signed an Executive Order on June 24, 1912 -- 135 years after the First Stars and Stripes Flag! Before then, our United States flag varied according to how people made them.
One of earliest flags had three rows of stars with four stars on the top and bottom rows and five stars in a center row. To make the 4-5-4 Star Flag, use the pattern above to arrange your rows of stars. Some patriots used six-, seven-, and eight-pointed stars when they made their flags. Go to the Star Patterns page for other types of stars you can print, cut out and use. You can even combine different types of stars! Americans made their flags all sorts of ways until 1912!
