Influential Women in My Family

 When I designed this line of fabric "Heart and Soul Sisters," I was influenced by the amazing women in my family who dreamed big to be a doctor, a writer, a teacher, and a dentist.  They followed their hearts.

So be true to yourself, be bold, be brave and be strong to be the best that you can be.  ~ Jamie Fingal

International Women's Day

Flag Friday

Text and imagery are a large part of any prayer flag.  There are many ways to add text to your flag and this week we'll talk about stamping and writing on flags.

Some people enjoy printing text directly onto their flag while others will put the text on paper or fabric and stitch it to the flag later.  No matter which method you enjoy, testing your products out first is always a good idea.  I have lined up different types of fabrics to show how each method of stamping and writing looks. 

Starting from left to right we have:  PFD (prepared for dyeing fabric), commercial solid, hand dye, commercial print, three hand dyes and another commercial solid.

Not all stamp pads are waterproof on fabric. Craft Test Dummies has a wonderful comparison of various stamp pads on fabric and their washability.  I like using Memento Luxe from Tsukineko.  The ink is made specifically for Mixed media work and works well on fabric.  This is the ink I will be using on my samples.

Rubber stamps are readily available at craft, scrapbook, major fabric stores, some big box stores, and always online. The first row of Joy in the photo below was stamped using individual letter stamps I picked up from my local craft shop. They are affordable (especially with a coupon!) and versatile. The letters in this set are about 1" tall.

One of the hardest things about stamping onto fabric is remembering that you don't need to push the stamp into the paper like the ink will run away!  Doing so will often give a ghost image of the edges of the stamp (as you can see on all my letters below!)  If you like that look then stamp with all your might!

The large letter A's that are stamped at the bottom of the black fabric were created using acrylic paint.  Paints can easily be pounced or brushed onto stamps and provide a nice image. Just make sure you wash the paint off quickly so that it doesn't gum up your stamps!

"Love" is a stamp I carved from my own handwriting and an eraser.  I left the stamp rough (little bits not carved away) so that the stamp didn't look manufactured.

Here are a few links on how to carve your own stamp:

Carving Stamps by Joggles.com (video)

Eraser Stamp with Xacto Knife (video)

Hand Carved Stamps (blog tutorial)

If you want to add your own hand writing directly to the fabric there are many wonderful pens and markers on the market.  I have demonstrated a few in these photos:

Silver, White, Gold and Copper Zig Fabricolor pens flow nicely across the fabric.  Zig also makes other colors but I only have the metallic and white.  The white often needs to be applied a few times on dark fabric to get a nice opaque white but it still makes a nice line.  The markers say they are a fine tip but they are thicker than I would have imagined.  I used the white marker with my letter stamps to create the word Love at the bottom of the black fabric below.

The next line of joy's were written with a Sharpie Grip Pen in purple. They are surprisingly smooth to write with on fabric and I think would be ideal for writing out an entire poem, song lyric or prayer onto a flag.  The line if very fine.

The next line of joy's were written using the Sharpie Fine Point Pen.  The pen is a bit thicker than the Grip Pen by Sharpie but still writes smoothly across the fabric.

The next line of Joy's were made using a Pigma Micron Pen, size 005.  Micron's have been a staple for writing on fabric for many years, and while it is my favorite for drawing with on paper, I don't enjoy using it on fabric.  The pen doesn't glide across the fabric but sticks and stutters making writing difficult.

Finally at the bottom right on the white PFD fabric is the Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric.  This pen glides across fabric like butter!  It is so nice to write with, however each pen does not contain much ink and so it has lost favor with me.  The pen I was using for the sample above is on it's last leg and so I'm afraid the sample doesn't give you a good indication of just how beautiful it writes when new.

*Tip - Iron a piece of freezer paper onto the back of your fabric before writing with any pens or markers.  This will keep your fabric tight and flat and much easier to write on!

Do you have a favorite pen or marker for writing on fabric that I did not cover?

Next Friday there we will have a guest blogger, Belinda Spiwak, showing how to make a gelli print prayer flag.  

*NOTE - The links in this post are NOT sponsored but are given for your benefit only.

Volunteers

I forgot to mention in the post on Friday that I would love to hear from anyone who would like to share a tutorial on Flag Friday.  Please email me at prayerflagproject@gmail.com if you are interested!

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.

Love Projects Birthday Community Art Making - Express your Self

Tammy

 Nancy

 Lynda

 Rick

 Alana

 Mona

 Joyce

Reconnection

Michele Bilyeu writes about her inner transition into a new year in her blog post:  Reconnection

She describes her newest prayer flag by writing:

"Birds have always been seen as special messengers of hope from above. While bird feathers, besides being engineering masterpieces, are often seen as symbols of reconnecting us with hope, and a belief in the unseen and as yet unknown.

I love finding feathers along my own path whether I am simply walking in my own yard in Oregon where feathers are more likely to have been left from one of my own flock of domestic chickens or along the beautiful beaches along the channels of ocean waters in my home state of Alaska where I reconnect with childhood, family, and the feeling of being home and truly returning to my own nesting rebirth year after year."...

You can read more about her prayer flag of hope and the joy of reconnecting at: http://www.with-heart-and-hands.com/2015/01/reconnection_19.html

Community Prayer Flags Love Project

Community Prayer Flags Love Project.ca

at Rhythmic by Nature Community Drum Circle.

Town of Georgina Ontario Canada

The Happy Flag Project

There is a wonderful article on AL.com about the Dahli Lama's visit to Birmingham and the Happy Flag Project along with many photos.

This was a wonderful project to be a part of and as you will see in the photos it took a village to make it happen.  There were so many beautiful thoughts, prayers and art shared and from what I could see on the posts on Facebook the flags made the event even more special!

Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Kindness Given

Anne Gailhbaud, from France, has shared many of her prayer flags with us and when her friend heard that Anne's husband was very ill she knew just the right thing to give to Anne:

Thank you Anne for sharing your friends beautiful prayers for you and your husband.  We wish you both many healing prayers and love.

Anne has photos of many beautiful flags on her Flickr Page: https://www.flickr.com/groups/1715420@N23/

For a Friend

Anja Kieboom from http://www.scrapitch.over-blog.com wrote to share with us how she made a prayer flag for a friend who suffers from cancer:


I wrote the words down in the normal way on a piece of fusible interfacing that i ironed back to front to get the mirror image on the back to do the free sewing correctly.

 Every stitch i made was a prayer for her. I hope she'll find a lot of courage to battle this treacherous disease.At the same time I hope that the prayers will be carried to those who also suffer and hope they will find the strength to cope with it.

I used a big, old nail I found somewhere for the hanging. Nails, as we sometimes see in old paintings, are supposed to be the symbol of great suffering.  I added ribbons to help the prayers to be swept along.

I created the black and white flower pattern by using a gelli plate to finish the back of the prayer flag.

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful flag with us Anja!  Her blog is in French but the beautiful photos and artwork speak volumes in any language!