Star Spangled Shibori Prayer Flags

"In the spirit of prayer flags, as I folded, clamped, dyed and stitched, I thought of blessings for our Country, prayed words of hope and gratitude for our Veterans, and meditated on Freedom and Peace worldwide."

Cindy Lohbeck has created a tutorial on how to create your own version of these lovely flags on her new blog "Diary of a Dyehard".

Flag Friday - Crocheted Flags

Lisa asked me to explain how I use crochet in my prayer flags after seeing these pictures:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

The joke is that I used a different method in each one.

Picture 1: I begin with a length of chain stitch before simply crocheting along the hanging edge with half crochet stitch. If its a single flag I then do more chain stitch before turning and crocheting back along it.
If it's too difficult to pass the hook through the fabric you can make a hole with an awl first such as in the following picture

Picture 2:   I stitched a row of blanket stitch across the hanging edge and then crochet a line of chain stitch before crocheting into the blanket stitches and again doing a chain stitch, before turning and crocheting back across it.
As in this pic you can see the blanket st in red thread and the crochet in yellow thread.
You can also see the first amount of chain st.

Picture 3: I used an old piece of pre-existing crochet and stitched it to the flags by hand but a zigzag machine stitch would work just as well.I have used a strip of lace edging in the past as well.

Here you can see I left gaps between the flags and decorated the gaps with buttons.This one hangs in my studio.

Q&A:
Crochet stitches used?  Any stitch you are comfortable with.
Number of rows crocheted?   Any number you want and it can be solid or lacy style crocheting.
Do you join a few together or make then singularly?  I make what is needed, be that one flag or a number of flags.
Do I need to be a crochet master? I like to use crochet because it fast and easy to use, and you don’t need to be a crochet master to do it. As long as you can make a chain and do one type of crochet stitch, anyone can do it.
The whole point of making prayer flags is to send love and positive thoughts out there to the universe and you can’t do that when you are stressing about your work……well I can’t.

I do hope that helps and will answer any questions, but I will say it now after years of following patterns I make things up now as I go.
Happy flag making!
 Cheers, Faye

Flag Friday

For this weeks Flag Friday we wanted to share a couple of links to stories about Prayer Flags being made for Nepal that we thought might be inspirational.

SAYING A PRAYER: Little Hallingbury Church of England Primary School pupils Oliver Engehan, 8, and Amelia Lellow, 9, with their prayer flags for Nepal - from the Herts and Essex Observer

Read more: http://www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk/Prayers-sent-struck-earthquake/story-26410590-detail/story.html#ixzz3Zcj3JDXy 
Follow us: @HertsEssexObser on Twitter

Children in Chichester UK make flags for Nepal victims

Prayer Flags Serve As Tribute To The Fallen

If you have seen something of interest, please share it in the comments!  If you have made a prayer flag you would like to fly on the internet, please email us at prayerflagproject@gmail.com

Prayer Flags for Nepal

Nepal was hit with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake this past Saturday.  The death toll is 3,000 and rising. Sometimes I feel so helpless when these great tragedies happen.  I can't pick up and run there to physically help.  I can make a monetary donation through one of the many reputable organizations which will help the people of Nepal pick up and move on with their lives.  And just as importantly, I can pray for healing, comfort and peace for the people of Nepal.  I hope you will join me in putting your own prayers onto a prayer flag or two and flying them in your area.  I hope that together our prayers will spread across the world to provide healing and love to the children, women and men of Nepal.  Posting your flags on to the blog is another way of putting your flags into the wind to share the love and comfort you wish to share.  Please email photo's to prayerflagproject@gmail.com if you would like to fly your flags across the world wide web.

Flag Friday

Welcome to Flag Friday!

Starting today, each Friday here at The Prayer Flag Project, a post will be dedicated to a tutorial, challenge or link to fun things you might want to know about making and sharing the love and healing of Prayer Flags.  This week I wanted to start out at the beginning:

Prayer flags have a very long and beautiful history rooted in Tibetan and Buddhist culture.  Vivika DeNegre and I covered a little bit of this history in a blog post at Quilting Daily, which I encourage you to read if you haven't already.  If the history of prayer flags intrigues you can read more about them in this article, as well as this article.

In their most basic form a Prayer Flag is nothing more than a piece of cloth printed with images and words, strung together and hung outside, however it is the love of the maker, that truly brings the  prayer flags to life.

Why Make a Prayer Flag?

Prayer flags are just fun to make!  There are no rules in the art of prayer flags and because of the small size, they are also an easy way to experiment with new art techniques, however, I find I enjoy making prayer flags for their loving qualities.

Carrie Bloomston enjoys making prayer flags because it is a creative project with purposefulness, and meaning that is sacred and filled with prayer and intention.  Although not religious in their modern format, prayer flags, like many sewing projects, act as a placeholder for the divine.  We sew with love and give that love away to family and friends.  They feel that love as they use the items we give. It is the same with prayer flags.  Every stitch is a prayer for love if we hold that spirit as we work.

Jane LaFazio likes to make prayer flags because it allows her to think of the person or cause as she sews the flags.  Making the flags helps her to focus on the receiver and send positive thoughts to them.

One of the reasons Jamie Fingal makes prayer flags is because she likes to have small flags with positive affirmations to inspire her in her art studio.  They also make excellent gifts for friends.  Jamie started making them when she had a couple of personal tragedies in her life.  The flags gave her comfort and helped with the healing process.  She was able to get her mojo back by making prayer flags.  She still enjoys making and giving prayer flags.

Get Ready. . .

Come back each Friday for a new tutorial or challenge.  This weeks challenge is to read over the flag making tutorials on the blog and think of someone you would like to share a flag with.  Gather your supplies and come back next Friday for a tutorial on adding text to your flags.

Feel free to share this post with your friends, and invite them to join the party.  You can email me at prayerflagproject (at) gmail (dot) com if you have photos you would like to share on the blog.

Thrown to the Wind

Guila Greer

I was shopping for something else in one of our local crafty chain stores and saw this forlorn and forgotten package of burlap in the clearance section. It was already cut into 4 "prayer flag size' pieces but I don't think that was the original intent - nothing written on the package. Anyway I immediately jumped to that idea although I had never seen burlap flags or had made any myself. By the time my friend and I left the store I had sketched out in my mind a vague notion of how I would use them and couldn't wait to get started. It was a learning process from the beginning and I pretty much made it up as I went along.

 One caution - when making prayer flags one should avoid stitching into the area at the top that is supposed to be left clear for hanging, lol.

 Can't wait to get started on another set!

http://guilagreerart.com

Prayer Flag Quilt

"On a trip to Tibet in 1990, I purchased some prayer flags and yak bells. The small flags are paper with the prayers printed on them. The other string is printed on fabric. They were not new so wear and tear are visible. The yak bells on the bottom of the quilt provided music throughout the country. Eyes on the top of the quilt are a Tibetian traditional design." - Beth Nelson

Tibet prayer flag quilt. W 21 in, H 30 in

Joy

Sonja from Sonja Hagemann Designs

created this Joyful prayer flag for Jill Berry

 

Love

My prayer flag for Jill Berry.

The bird and sunflower are printed directly onto the fabric and then I colored them in with watercolor pencils.  The background fabric was created using a foam stamp and very wet Setacolor paint.

Plans for You

 I have Bible verses going along the stripes of the legs. They are the Living Bible translation and their locations are: Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalms 91:11   I live in Glassboro, NJ. I was filled with happiness creating this prayer flag for Jill.  Thanks, Kathy

Peace

A lovely flag from Patty Mends for Jill K. Berry

Love, Leap. Laugh

Libby Williamson, from California, made this beautiful Prayer Flag for Jill K. Berry. 

The front side has some "Leaping Legs" attached. 

The back side has a pocket stuffed with a few treasures and a personal note.

Thank you for sharing Libby!

Please email photos of prayer flags you would like to share to

prayerflagproject (at) gmail (dot) com

Make a Healing Flag for Jill K. Berry

We invite you to make a 'healing' flag for Jill K. Berry to cheer her up while she recovers from open heart surgery.

Size - 5x7 vertical format
Can be made out of fabric and paper (must be easy to sew through on a sewing machine on the top), because all of the flags will be sewn onto bias tape or ribbon for easy hanging. All of the elements on the flag should be securely attached, no thicker than 1/4 inch, no heavier than 4 oz and please do not use glitter on them.

Suggested motifs - Jill loves images of leaping humans (think leap of faith), and of course maps and lettering.    Keep important motifs away from the top 1" because we will be stitching through that top 1" to attach your flag to some bias tape for hanging.    You can put a non bulky lightweight pocket on the back to insert a personal note to Jill if you want but please make sure that the pocket is securely attached.

Shipping your flags:

Deadline to receive flags by March 15

Send to Susan Brubaker Knapp

Deadline to receive flags by March 20
Kathy York
OR
Sue Bleiweiss

Please email me at prayerflagproject (at) gmail (dot) com for the mailing address.

Sun Salutations

Here is a little prayer flag that I recently painted for my garden. I based it on the following quote:
"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
Linda
Dandelion Ink Studio

Follow Your Heart

Loralie here. I have never been one for resolutions, really, but I do like to set goals. This year, one of my main goals is to give myself permission to follow my heart, instead of rationalizing why what I want to do is silly and unproductive. In honour of that goal, here is my prayer flag:

As you see, there are flip flops (my fave footwear) following a heart - the path is neither straight, nor does it follow the "path" that has been laid out (I was thinking yellow brick road when I made this flag)...

The flag was made using fabric paint over a strip of foil with lots of holes (it has a name, but I have no idea what that is, sorry).. Then, it was embellished with french knots to make a way to hang it, and brads (the feet and hearts). Finally, the word were free motion stitched over a felt outline.

I used different hearts, as sometimes - actually often - I change my mind on things, and I want to remind myself that this is an okay thing to do, so long as it's done from the heart.

Another goal is to make a quilt for myself this year; now that I've put it out there, I have to do it, right?

I hope that this is the year that you decide to follow your heart. If you have any goals that you would like to share, I would love to hear them. Happy first day of 2012, everyone!!

Rebirth

Loralei Walker here, with another prayer flag, number four for me. This one I call "Rebirth":

A new year is soon to be rung in; for many of us, this is a time of reflection and planning. Like a phoenix is reborn from the ashes of its old self, come January 1st many of us also feel reborn, recharged - we are full of ideas, dreams, and plans. May your year ahead be one of discovery and joy :-)

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.

A Prayer Flag for Protection.

Hello.

My name is Deborah O'Hare and this is my first post on The Prayer Flag Project. With that in mind I hope you will indulge me in a bit of selfishness with my first flags.

I have made these for myself and my family, for Protection, after having experienced not one, but two house fires within eight months this year.  



Buddist umbrella of protection



The first was a shed fire, but the whole back of the house was badly damaged from the heat of the flames.



The back



The second was a kitchen fire back in August, and as I write this I am still without a kitchen, eagerly awaiting the fitters to come along and put in a new one.

Woven Strips

I don't tell you this to promote sympathy. No-one was hurt and I count my blessings.

But I would be lying if I tried to deny how unsettling the whole experience has been.

Protective Celtic Knot

"Amddiffynion"-Welsh for Protection

So these are my flags, and my attempt to protect us from anything else the Universe might be planning to throw at us!

You will find me living in the UK on the South Wales coast, with my husband, two teenagers and a dog named Rosie!

I blog at thebluehare and Quilt Routes and I would love it if you came for a visit.

I am thrilled to have been asked to contribute to this great project.

See you again soon!

2 more flags from Loralei Walker

Life has been busy.. so busy in fact that all I have really wanted is in these two flags - time - to play, and time to just be me. The "play" flag is to remind me, and everyone who sees it, to remember the inner child, and to take time to play more often. The "time" flag is a prayer for myself, and for others who share these feelings - a prayer to allow time to come into our lives, and to let it work its healing magic, so that we can truly be... Loralei - the whimsical mermaid

Flag #2 - Play

Flag #3 - Time