Last Rose of Summer

Today was warm and humid, and a rare find in Connecticut in late November. On the back fence a floribunda rose was still blooming. Who ever suggested that roses were not a tough, beautiful flower!

I am inspired to think once again of summer, ice cream and italian ice, sunshine and seashells.

Flag For Hope: Letizia Loffi

A new participant has joined the project all the way from Italy.  Letizia Loffi's first flag is for Hope.

In her words...

"Hope is the most powerful fuel in life.  Without hope, there are no projects, therefor no future".

"My flags pray for the forces that guide our steps in life...  This one is made of tapestry cotton, lace, and organza ribbon.  Little glass beads and silver rattles hang from the ribbons to give hope a cheerful note..."

Cheers to all!

Group Prayer Flag Project

Friends making prayer flags.

Jane LaFazio here. This weekend, Thanksgiving weekend, my friends and I spent the weekend at  J&J Ranch for our annual get-together. Our hosts have a fabulous studio, and were happy to let me lead the project. Everyone participated, and it took less than 2 hours.




I did some pre-preparation at home, beforehand. 

I torn a long strip of fabric, 13" high , then pinned a 3 inch hem.

I sewed the hem on the whole strip.

Using a rotary cutter, I cut the flags into 5" panels

Quickly created 17 flags, each finished to 5x8"

 

 






We had acrylic paint, brushes, stencils and fabric markers for everyone to use.
   
Once the flags were finished, we took turns sharing the meaning, affirmation, wish that our flag was meant to  convey, then strung them together on heavy string.


 The guys hung the flags.

Jill, our host, stands at the door of her studio.
You can see all the finished flags in the prayer flag project flickr group here.

Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving. I am a day late (and probably a dollar short) but it I've been busy between the turkey and the stuffing and the trip to the ER with my neighbors.

We were planning on turkey for 15 when Jane, my 92-year-old neighbor telephoned.  Rome, her 94-year-old husband,  a retired lieutenant colonel, veteran of WWII, had had a episode of gastrointestinal bleeding.  We called the ambulance and she and I followed in my car.

Two days later he is in the intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital but acting spunking and silly with the nursing staff despite continued bleeding, transfusions and acute renal failure.

I am thankful for Rome and Jane. They have served as our surrogate parents (and we as there surrogate children) for 17 years. We love them and they love us... and isn't that what true friends are all about.

Wish us luck in the days ahead!

Babies and Hope

Hope is a theme that goes well with new babies. I think we are all filled with love and hope for our children.....that their lives will be rich with experiences and relationships that bring them joy and happiness. Hope for a bright future, both in their lives and the world around them. My heart is filled with hope.

My hope flag is a collage of bits and pieces from the past. Trimmings from my first art quilt, some suminagashi I did with the 6th graders last year, painted dryer sheet and hand-stamped fabric garnished with couched hand-dyed chainette and French knots.

Norina Morris: Prayers for Faith and Peace

I love waking up in the morning and finding an email in my inbox with the first flags of a new participant.  These are Norina Moriris' first two prayer flags.  Aren't they beautiful?

1. FAITH  

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.  (Mother Teresa)

2. PEACE

We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds. (Anton Chekov)

Changing it UP!

We all get stuck in ruts. And I feel my earlier prayer flags have not truly reflected my personality. So here go turning over my leaf. This little series symbolizes new horizons, new possibilities, and changing it up!

New Day

Today begins a new year for me. We all have new ideas, new horizons, new challenges waiting for us. This quilt symbolizes a sprout, a new green, fresh thing popping up out of the earth! 


It is made with muslin, linen, commercial batik, pearl cotton and fabric ink pens.

Enjoy your day.

Faith

Faith in self. Faith in others. Faith in a higher power. That is what this Prayer Flag symbolizes.

This flag is made of antique linen with hand-stitched lettering and printed paper.

Owinja

It is said "Owinja" means quilt in the Native American Lakota dialect. 


The Lakota are known for their handmade quilts, particularly star quilts. The star in the upper right hand corner of this piece is from their website logo. Please see their amazing work at  http://lakotaquilts.com/thequilters.html 


Paraphrasing the quotation, I might say, a person who does not receive quilts or handmade art is an orphan and unloved. 


This prayer quilt is made from linen, fabric ink and paper. 

A Heart Not Broken

Today I finished 2 prayer flags. I was inspired by a handful of friends who have been married and divorced and remarried. They did not give up on love! They remained open to the possibility of new relationships in their lives even when there were times they wanted to give up. 

"Love" is made with antique lace, pearl cotton, batik cotton fabric, fusible web on a linen background.

"Patched but Unbroken" is made with commercial cotton fabrics, paint, fusible web and thread on a linen background.

Robin Manly: Create!

Create
Robin Manly

My flag says "create," which means "making" in the literal sense (as in art) and in the more global sense (as in hope). The orange-and-turquoise combo is my favorite - I like the way the opposites in the color wheel shimmer against each other. The spiral in the center is an early symbol of the sun, which is both light and life-giving. It might also be the first spiral I've ever made in cloth. Hmm - maybe this is a symbol itself?

Everything on the flag was free-handed - the finished dimensions are about 5 X 8 inches with a hanging sleeve on the back. The fabric is cotton, mostly stitched with pearle cotton #8. The beading at the bottom adds a little weight as well as sparkle in the sunlight. The backing is plain muslin to add some substance while the flag is hanging and make it a bit less transparent.

I know a lot of you are artists. I hope you join in this project not only to show your talent, but also to show something about who you are and what you stand for. C'mon! Spread your spirit on the wind! I haven't decided where I'm going to hang my Prayer Flag just yet, but I'm thinking it may go into my office to remind me why I'm there. Maybe I can convince some of my work mates to join in, too!

Visit Robin's blog from more information about her beautiful flag at http://somenotesfromafar.blogspot.com/2011/11/create-prayer-flag-project.html

Flag for determination and creativity

Jane LaFazio here. This is prayer flag 17 for me. Orange: for determination and creativity.

I'm still using mono- prints that I've made, as the base fabric of the flags.

You can see all my prayer flags here. I'm working my way towards the goal of 30 flags.

Sanctuary.

front

These flags are for the hope that everyone who needs it can find Sanctuary, be it spiritual, emotional or physical. 

back

For some reason I feel compelled to make them visual from the back as well as the front.

front



I also seem to have to make them in groups of three.

back

They have been constructed on hand painted fabric and added to with bits of a quilt that I cut up (follow the link to see that I really did cut it up) because I wasn't very happy with it.