Prayer Flags for "Learning"

I was asked to make prayer flags that will be given as gifts to speakers, musicians, course leaders and others at Sorrento Centre this summer and now that they have been delivered, I would like you to have a peek at them.

They were created by using hand-dyed fabric (blue) that I tore into the appropriate size strips and then dipped the bottom edge in bleach to discharge the colour ... then I painted that edge with golden and greenish textile paints to create meadows and hills.  I then screen-printed a tree on each flag and followed that with hand embroidery of a few flowers before adding the hand-lettered "learning" patch. The top edge was turned over and hand stitched to hold a twig of red dogwood that I gathered at Sorrento Centre this spring.  These are single-sided flags and all the edges are left ragged so that if they are left outside in the weather they will fade and fray away, but they will maintain their colour if kept inside, out of direct sunlight.

They were a delight to make and I love that we chose the word learning for these flags,  from their motto, Sorrento Centre: A holy place of transformation for learning, healing and belonging.

Prayer Flags

I absolutely love making prayer flags. The small size means they are quick to finish compared to most of the pieces I create and there is so much scope for creativity.  Even when I make multiple sets  of prayer flags each one is slightly different.  They are a perfect little project for taking along when you are waiting for appointments, or flying from A to B.

Most of these prayer flags have been created from hand-dyed or hand-painted cotton, although there are some that are on silk (the pinky-purple one above is silk) and some have a few beads added as well as the hand stitching.  Eventually, I will offer some that can have text of the purchaser's choice added to the flag.

I am now listing these prayer flags in my Etsy shop  so drop by from time to time to see what is new and feel free to suggest themes that I might not be covering yet . . . I think the possibilities are endless.

Blessings Prayer Flag

Blessings . . . this prayer flag has many blessings flapping from the lower edge of the flag. It has been created from some of my hand dyed and monoprinted fabrics and was destined to be an example for my upcoming prayer flag workshop but . . .

I  have a friend battling a brain tumour and I felt that this was the week he needed to have this prayer flag so it has already headed off to Vancouver.

This is a very free-spirited flag ... you can see that it is not "square" and there is an asymmetrical and casual balance to the flag, which is how I see life taking us sometimes. The soft purple fabric is a more densely woven cotton than the fabric with the blue and purple monoprint on it, which provides a soft contrast in texture. This is a single thickness of fabric so if it is left outside (or handled a lot) the edges of the fabric will fray and soften with time.

The narrow strips of purple cotton have been printed with many of the blessings I wish for my friend at this time. There is a knot at the end of each blessing and they are attached by a purple bead to the main part of the flag.

One of the techniques we will experiment with in my workshop at Sorrento Centre starting this weekend, is monoprinting ... I'm sure that the participants will feel like they are back in pre-school as we play with paints on gelatin plates and transfer the designs to fabric ... fun! There is still space if you want to join us so just call Sorrento Centre and come along!

Prayer Flags ... Hope

I am working on prayer flags in preparation for the workshop I will be teaching next month but I seem to be getting hung up on all the people for whom I would like to make a prayer flag. I have several people in my circle who might be uplifted by a handmade prayer flag and they were in my thoughts as I created these two "hope" flags yesterday.

I started off with end pieces of some hand painted cotton and I used the irregular shapes as part of the shape of the flag. The fabric looks very much like a landscape so I used a thermofax screen to add a tree (tree of hope) to which I later added some hand embroidery stitches. At the moment I am making samples using a variety of techniques to add text to the flags, so one of these flags uses stamped letters and the other uses hand-printed letters.

These flags are one layer of cotton (the stitching is visible on the back) and I have left the edges all unfinished and I even started to unravel some of the threads so they would look a bit ragged. If left out in the weather, they will slowly fade and unravel.

I hope to create several more prayer flags or inspiration flags in the next few weeks. If you would like to know more about my upcoming workshop, it is at Sorrento Centre from April 25-30 and there is more information by clicking on the link or by phoning Sorrento Centre at 250-675-2421.