Lien Chung and Bao Truong at Sew, Inc. in Boiceville

In the back room of what appears from the outside to be a simple gift shop in Boiceville, a large ball of tiny bits of yellow tape wobbles beside Lien Chung's sewing machine. Her bob of black hair frames her beautiful weathered face. She always seems to be smiling, although she doesn't understand everything that's being said. Lyn is concerned with getting back to work. She wants to keep expanding the ball of tape that is her talisman, and represents how she and her family exchanged persecution in Vietnam for the quintessential American dream.

The ball is made of bits of tape from embroidered stars that need touch-ups. Lien removes the tape, sticks them to the edge of the ball, and runs more white thread over each star until they are perfect. In the background is the rhythmic chug, like a steady heartbeat, of 1,024 needles attached to nine mammoth embroidery machines, each chopping away at white stars on fields of blue. These squares will be sewn onto rectangles of red and white stripes and flown over US embassies throughout the world.

Behind Lien sits Chin Wu, who came to Sew, Inc. from Hong Kong with her children five years ago. Her son is now a student at Northeast University in Boston and her daughter goes to SUNY Albany. Behind her sits Adel Hanein, who came to New York from Egypt in 1982. Emily Oppimitti came from Italy and has worked here for 27 years. Other employees come from countries throughout South America. There are also employees from the local area. Kim Fickus, born and raised in Shokan, has worked at Sew, Inc. for 18 years.

Hiep Vanvo at an embroidery machine

But it is Lien Chung's story that is the most dramatic. Her husband, Bao Truong, tells it in fragmented English. While he looks somewhat delicate in stature, his body holds evidence of amazing strength. It still carries shards of shrapnel, as well as memories of torture by North Vietnamese soldiers for helping the Americans while a member of the South Vietnam army during the war. In 1981, the United States allowed Bao to take his two oldest children to the United States. Lien was forced to stay behind with their younger two daughters until her husband could afford to sponsor them. Through a local church, he found a job at Sew Inc., where employees make up to $11 an hour, along with overtime, vacation, and sick pay, health insurance, a 401K plan, and profit sharing. Bao saved his money, and in 1991, 10 years later, picked up the rest of his family at the airport and brought them to a home they now own in Shandaken. Last year, their oldest daughter received her Master's degree in finance. The other three are attending or have graduated college.

Bao takes off his glasses. He has tears in his eyes as he explains that he has been able to go back to Vietnam, build a house for his relatives, and buy a cemetery plot for his family members who were killed by North Vietnamese soldiers. Bao's sister and her husband, who was held almost six years as a prisoner of war, also work for Sew, Inc. now. One daughter is studying pharmacology in Albany; the other is an exchange student in France. Bao describes their lives here as "beautiful."

"I'm very lucky, very happy," Bao says. "We have good food, a home, and our family."

Sew, Inc.'s 75 employees manufacture approximately 20,000 star fields a week.

Sew, Inc. owner, Murray Fenwick, whose whitening hair and cozy appearance puts people right at ease, understands the importance of a supportive family. He runs Sew, Inc. with the help of his wife, Ilsa, and their son, Peter, a graphic artist. Peter controls the newest 16-head embroidery machines, added last year, from a computer in his office. These produce Eagle Scout emblems, which are then bonded onto neckerchiefs, as well as emblems for local businesses. They also embroider team names onto gymnastics outfits, and intricate designs that line the robes of priests and rabbis for elaborate religious ceremonies. Fenwick and his son are a classic example of the age-old generation gap, often engaging in friendly debate over traditional methods vs. new technologies. Fenwick spends more time showing off his electromagnetic design board than the computer system. It is the kind once used by architects, which he begrudgingly admits may become obsolete in the near future. Now, Peter just scans in his design, Fenwick said.

"I admit, it's much faster than mine," Fenwick concedes.

"But it's not as precise. It does not allow you to make as many decisions," Ilsa adds, reassuringly.

Mending stars at Sew, Inc.

The machines that produce the star fields, however, are the same embroidery machines used 75 years ago, invented by two Swiss brothers who also had an American dream. At the end of World War I, the Stucki brothers brought their invention to New Jersey, which was then considered the embroidery capital. They built a successful business specializing in emblems, and in1969, they began manufacturing star fields. Fenwick came to America from Canada in the 1960s, married Ilsa, who is a member of the Stucki family, caught the embroidery bug, and moved to Boiceville.

With additional help from about 75 employees, their company now manufactures about 20,000 star fields a week. In addition, delicate, handmade lace, curtains, pillows, and other embroidered goods are sold in the gift shop at the factory's entrance. They all have a common theme: Made in the USA, which is often embroidered right on the product for emphasis. Fenwick is animated and excited as he talks about his products, his equipment, and his loyal employees. He also knows that if what they were making were not so American, his business might be dark today.

Sew, Inc. is one of the last businesses of its kind left in the country, largely because flags are among the last items still manufactured in the US. Although many flags are now made overseas, there are still two other major flag embroiderers in the US (in Virginia and South Carolina), he said. According to a report by Senator Chuck Schumer, since 2001, the Hudson Valley has lost about 9,000 manufacturing jobs because of outsourcing; more than 130,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost across New York. New York City's famous garment industry is almost completely dead now because of outsourcing, Fenwick added.

"Thirty years ago, these machines were doing a tremendous amount of work for the American garment industry. Then they all moved offshore. If we had done that, it would be dark in here. There'd be no machines, no people," Fenwick said.

Today, at Sew, Inc., flags representing all of the employees' countries of origin line the wall of the main embroidery room. Below, the machines continue to shift and chug from side to side, moving the fabric past the punching needles. The stars seem to be marching across the room, like an army, off to sprinkle the night sky over an embassy somewhere. The only remnants of the flag's imperfections will have been left behind on Lien Chung's ball of tape.