Folding the Flag in Half
Lay the flag out face-up on a flat surface. Find a space large enough to accommodate the full size of the flag and unfurl it. Make sure there are no wrinkles or creases in the fabric. If the flag is made of nylon, you can iron it on the lowest heat setting to get rid of any stubborn wrinkles.
Position yourself at the vertical end of the stripes. If you're folding the US flag alone, stand at the end with the stripes, not the stars. Don't worry, the stars will be visible once the flag is folded!
Fold the flag in half lengthwise. Bring the bottom horizontal edge to the top and align the edges. The flag is folded in half lengthwise, so it should like a long rectangle. Be sure to smooth the fabric out to be perfectly flat.
Fold the flag in half lengthwise one more time. Fold it in half by taking the bottom edge and aligning it with the top edge, just like you did the first time. Make sure there are no creases or wrinkles in the fabric. When working with a partner, walk away from each other to keep the material taut.
Making the Triangular Folds
Position yourself at a vertical side and fold the first triangle. Grab the left corner and fold it up and to the right to make a triangle. The slanted edge will be facing you. All the sides of the triangle should be an equal length, so refold the triangle if needed.
Fold the triangle back onto the flag. The corner of the first triangle should now be pointing at you. Grab it and fold it back onto the flag, then flatten the sides and corners so they look tidy. You've completed your first triangle fold.
Make another triangle in the opposite direction. The slanted edge of the triangle will face you after making this fold. Take the corner and bring it back onto the flag.
Keep making triangles until you run out of material. Continue making triangles using the same process until there's not enough material to make another equal fold. You should be able to fold at least 13 triangles with a large flag. For the American flag, each fold has a particular symbolic meaning. You can read about each meaning here: http://www.usflag.org/foldflag.html
Tuck the remaining material into the folds of the flag. There will be a little bit of material left unfolded. Tuck the excess material into the gaps of the triangle folds and make sure it looks tidy. If you're folding an American flag, the remaining triangle should consist of only stars.
Put the flag in a display case if you want to use it as decor. A triangular flag can make a good decoration. Take the back off your display case, then slide it in. Make sure you don't wrinkle the fabric as you do so. Then, re-attach the back of the display case.
Store the flag in cool and dry place. You can put it into a box or plastic bag to protect the flag from gathering dust. Your flag should maintain the folds as long as it remains undisturbed!
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