Ukrainian Flags From File Folders

I wanted to do something. I can still fit in my field jacket, but I'm way too old to fight - its been fifty years since BASIC training. I added Ukraine to my email signatures and then decided to get a flag for our car. Walmart didn't have any, but they had plastic school folders in the right colors and I had scissors and tape!

• Pencil
• Razor Knife
• Ruler
• Clear Packing Tape
• Two "Pen + Gear 2-Pocket Poly Folders," Walmart

These come with 'pockets' that are simply another piece of the colored plastic that I cut away - and used or smaller flags - leaving the large sections (front and back) intact. I figure I might get a dozen more flags out of those four pieces alone!

Note that I held the folder flat on the table and, laying the razor knife on it's side, slid it along the crease cutting it smoothly and evenly - slow and steady wins this race.

Now, it certainly is possible to find out the 'standard dimensions of such a flag - I actually did at one point*. Wrote them down, calculated the ration as between the height and width of an American flag, wrote it all down on the back of an envelope and forgot to take it with me into the shop (the A.G.E. Disease, don't you know).

I settled on longer than tall/high and eyeballed it.

I would up making several sizes - each based upon the pieces at hand - even made one the size of a Madeleine Albright broach (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/).

Out of each rectangular piece of each folder, you can cut at least two flags. The pieces from the 'pockets' are too long vs height so I cut a bit off the long side and made little lags out of those 'scraps.' I had to quit for dinner, then spent time sharing the project here and there, so I still have the four largest pieces to cut up and tape together. I may come back and add those results.

Basically, you cut each rectangle lengthwise into equal parts (halves), then tape a blue half to a yellow half on one face, turn that assembly over and tape it on the back face & viola! you're a patriot!

• The usual size of a flag used at home is 3'x5'. Ratio 1:1.6667

Make a couple for your vehicle(s), a lawn flag (weather proof - its plastic!), hang in your front window, on your porch.

Tie one on - to your tree with a yellow and blue ribbon.

As we Americans say "freedom isn't really free" and all across the globe we are seeing efforts to destroy democratic forms of government.

Teach your kids how to make them. Make it a family project - a home school lesson about democracy,

Do a fundraiser at church Sunday, or make a project out of it with your neighborhood association.

Please share here when you make them!

Can you imagine such an attack on one of our states . . . "Ukraine is around the same size as Texas" with 18 million more inhabitants.