Lorelai Walker: Dancing in the Rain

I discovered the Prayer Flag Project while visiting Jane LaFazio's blog, and I fell in love with the idea instantly, since it gives me an opportunity to spread goodness in the world, while finding myself as an artist.  So far, I have only completed one flag, but am already working on more.

The stamp on the flag says, "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain," and I believe that this statement rings so true for me, and for many people.

I made this flag for my friend Annie, who is moving from Canada back to the us again next weel  This is a tough move for her family, as they have made many friends here, and they will be very missed.  I hope that Annie hangs this flag outside of her new home, and that it reminds her that no matter what life brings, she has support from her friends, who will dance in the rain along side her...

I have also recently started a new blog.  It is where I am keeping track of my progress as an artisan and an artist, and where I am finding peace in sharing that side of me, even though it is only being shared with me at the moment.

Carol Simpson: Embrace the Gift of Each Day

This is Carol's first prayer flag - isn't it lovely?  It is a prayer for her friend's sister who is battling cancer, and a message for us all.

Carol lives in Mt. Shasta and San Diego, California.  She was inspired to join the project after seeing the pieces made by Jane LaFazio.  Thank you, Jane, for being a champion of this project!

Linda Miller: Inspiration from Meditation

Linda Miller writes, "Now that my big project is complete, I have time to post the latest photographs of my recent additions to the Prayer Flag Project. I have added four to the set to join "Trust". 

My inspiration for these come out of meditation practice, and are reminders that I have been working with in my own life lately.  Seemed timely to share them.

Flag#2 reads: "Life expectancy is uncertain, Death can come at any time, Keeping this in mind, What is important?"    A reminder to live fully in each moment.  What are your priorities??

The last 3 flags really belong together as unit. Recognize is beginning to see who we are and what we do.  Refrain is staying and noticing what comes up, without judgement or jumping into the usual habit pattern.  Being kinder to ourselves and others we can begin to Relax.  Wouldn't that make a difference in our world?
May everyone find some peace in their lives.

I am happy to have the opportunity to participate in this project, as a means to share these wishes,  to see what others are bringing to the project, and to play with new materials in creative process".  

Christine Predd: Grateful

 Last Friday we moved into a home surrounded by woods.  We are so grateful to have that beauty arround us.  I made this first prayer flag this morning to express that gratefulness.

For this flag, I used scraps for the background, drew a tree, then added strips of fabric and fiber to blow in the wind.  Words such as serenity, peace, and joy, are written on the fabric strips which express  my feelings of gratefulness.  My hope and wish is to spread these good wishes to everyone.

Christine Predd

Caryl Park's Prayers from South Africa

This truly is an international effort..  so far, flags have been submitted from the USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and now South Africa.  I've had inquiries from Australia and Peru, and am waiting for photos from those participants as well.  Keep the flags coming, and the good wishes and prayers hanging in the wind.

Today's artist, Caryl Park, describes her flags:


I saw some flags from this project and I just had to take part. These were made for a friend who has cancer. She was so blessed to receive them knowing that someone really cares enough to take the time to make them. 

I think it is such a wonderful idea and will be making more and more. I am sure my style will change as I go along and being inspired by all the other artists. Thank you so much for suggesting this idea to women all around the world, we really do appreciate it.

Lunetter is the most remarkable person. She has just come out of hospital and she looks like a ray of sunshine. I am always inspired by people worse off than myself, when I see them smile and having such courage. Please ask your readers to say a little prayer for her.

You can see more of Caryl's work on her blog.

First Flags: Vivika Hansen DeNegre

I thought it would be nice to post a few pictures of the first prayer flags I made several years ago.  They were not fancy, or specially stitched.  They were not planned, organized, or fretted over.  They were not works of art.



They WERE, however, very difficult to make and hard to send to their recipient.

My dear friend Suzanne, who was like a sister to me in so many ways, was entering the last phase of her life and dieing of breast cancer.  We had hiked the hills around the Golden Gate Bridge together, ridden horses, laughed over burnt dinners and spilled milk, and shared babysitters.

We loved the same books, cared for the same causes, and enjoyed similar activities.  We were good friends who were parting ways for the last time, and I wanted her to know that she was loved and prayed for on that final journey.

When her husband learned about this project, he snapped these photos of the flags which still hang above their bed, although she has been gone for more than a year.  The little paper tags have colored shells glued to one side, and simple words like "faith", "hope" and "peace" glued to the other.

Ileen Miller: Three More Flags

Three more flags have been made by fiber artist Ileen Miller, adding to her flag for fathers a few weeks ago.  Ileen is making a flag a week and posting to our flickr group when they are complete- as she said in an email earlier this week, "I, too, believe in the power of prayer and putting things out into the universe".

Pray on, Ileen-

 

Sharen Chatterton

How lovely to find an inbox filled with many different prayer flags after a much needed vacation with my family...  This week we'll be featuring a sampling of those submitted over the past ten days.  Please keep them coming!  They are all so beautiful, and their messages are now blowing in the wind with so many others.  Today's flags are from Sharen Chatterton.

I stumbled across the Prayer Flag Project as I was reading Jane LaFazio’sblog site. I was inspired to create two artist prayer flags that are now hanging in my side yard. The one with the sunflowers on it is a prayer for my family, as all families have, we have issues from time to time and this is a prayer to Trust in God and he will guide us to work though those issues in his own time. 

The crow flag is a prayer to live a simpler life according to God’s plan, not my own; not always an easy thing to do. I love that I see my prayer flags every time I go in my side yard (with three dogs, that is many times a day, to take them out to potty). What a wonderful reminder to send up a little prayer each time I see them. I am not a fiber artist, by any stretch of the imagination, but I have enjoyed adding fabric to my mix of creative outlets

Jane LaFazio: 10 flags so far

Jane LaFazio here. 10 Prayer Flags so far. My goal is to make 30.

#8. For Peace.



#9: for Grace. To act with grace. Live with grace.



#10: Learn & Grow. grow and learn. Learn so more, grow some more...

For everything thing there is a season

Jane LaFazio here. Prayer flag # 7: For everything there is a season.

I created a tutorial for this flag, showing how I drew on the fabric then cut it out and free-motion stitched. See my tutorial here.



 
I created a sheet of labels on fabric too, so now I can iron them on the back of each flag, filling in the info.

Jane LaFazio ~ 3 more flags

Jane LaFazio here. Prayer flag # 4
An early morning walk is a blessing for the entire day." Thoreau
   
"

Prayer flag #5. For my friends, too many of them, battling breast cancer.

    


Prayer Flag # 6. "If not now, when?"
  


I'm making my flags from my leftover bits of my monoprints on cloth. Just grabbing some fabric, tearing it to the right size and stitching on it.
See more flags on our Prayer Flag flickr group, and join in!

Jane LaFazio...For Christine

Jane LaFazio here. This flag, my third in my series, is for the late Christine Taylor. She was a friend of mine from yoga class, and she died last year of breast cancer. She was 45 years old. At her memorial service, her brother described her as having "boundless warmth, humility and curiousity." That description soooo resonated with me, that I knew that I wanted to have my life guided by those qualities. 

Vivika Hansen DeNegre: 30 Flags

30 Flags Completed and hanging in the garden

When I started this project last month, I had no idea the amount of time, effort, or energy it would take.  Although I vowed that each flag would be made in an hour or less, I did not count on the time to photograph the pieces, write blog posts, respond to inquiries, and manage so much information.  An hour a day?  HA!

Detail - Yes, I do love every "fibre"

I also was not prepared for the response, mostly from people whom I don't know personally, but have befriended through the internet.  I did not know that my hopes, dreams, or prayers would touch others, and that connection has been worth every computer glitch, poorly lit photo shoot, and pinched nerve from sewing at midnight.

My initial 30 days of posts are now completed, and I am moving into the next phase of the project which includes the entire fiber community who wishes to participate.  

I hope you join your prayers to mine on this blog, and continue to spread good will, kindness, hope, compassion, and understanding through this project.

Vivika